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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23171491">Life and Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/capn_fuzzy/pseuds/omega_fuzzy'>omega_fuzzy (capn_fuzzy)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>YOI futureverse [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Character(s), Alpha Victor Nikiforov, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Complete, Domestic Fluff, Found Family, Kid Fic, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Morning Sickness, Mpreg, Omega Katsuki Yuuri, Post-Canon, Sequel, Weddings, brief mention of breastfeeding, nongraphic depictions of labor, post-retirement</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:48:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,784</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23171491</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/capn_fuzzy/pseuds/omega_fuzzy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Mmm, you smell nice,” Yuuri purred. “I think someone's rut is coming soon.”</p><p>Victor blushed. “Y-yeah, it's getting ready to be about that time...why?”</p><p>Yuuri hummed as he nuzzled the scent gland in Victor's throat, taking in the smell of musk and evergreen. “Well, I was kind of thinking about going off of my birth control...and we could have another baby?"</p><p>Sequel to my other YOI omegaverse fic Next Level in which Hiro becomes a big brother.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>YOI futureverse [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666912</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>132</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>386</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi friends! I've been looking forward to sharing this for a while, but I wanted to wait until TAoST was finished so I could focus most of my energy on it. I'm also going to at least make an attempt at a weekly schedule for this, with updates tentatively every Monday. This is of course, subject to change, as I've been pretty busy lately, but at least for the next five weeks there will be an update! </p><p>Also, just to clarify, this takes place four years after Next Level, and seven years post-canon. I'm aware this means Makkachin would be old as shit, but hear me out...she's immortal. There will be no doggy angst in my baby fic and that's just how it is.</p><p>I hope you all enjoy this, and if you haven't read Next Level yet, I'd recommend going back and reading it first as this fic will make a handful of references back to it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Turn on my night light, Papa?” Takahiro asked, his soft brown eyes blinking up at Victor in the darkness of his room, illuminated only by the hall light.</p><p>“<em>Da,</em> of course,” he said. He flipped the switch on the small lamp on Hiro's bedside table and kissed his forehead. “There. No more darkness for the monsters to hide in.”</p><p>Hiro looked over at his closet skeptically. “Can Makka come sleep with me tonight? If the monsters aren't scared of the dark she can still scare them away, right?”</p><p>Victor smiled at his son. “I'll go get her,” he said, leaving his bedside just long enough to lean out into the hall and whistle for Makkachin. Though the poodle was starting to get on in years, she still responded just as quickly to Victor's calls as she always had, and she happily trotted into Hiro's bedroom.</p><p>“You'll protect me from the monsters, won't you?” Hiro asked her. She boofed softly and jumped up onto his bed, smothering him with enthusiastic, slobbery kisses.</p><p>“I'd say that's a yes,” Victor said. “Now, if you've got your proper guard for the night, I'm off to bed too. Goodnight, Hiro-kun.”</p><p>“G'night, Papa!” he giggled, nuzzling into Makkachin's fluffy curls. Victor lingered in the doorway for a moment before leaving the door open slightly, then he headed back to his own bedroom, where Yuuri was already waiting for him.</p><p>“You always get him settled down so much more easily,” he chuckled as he watched Victor change into his pajamas.</p><p>“Oh, he's still awake,” Victor replied as he climbed into bed. “But he was yawning and rubbing his eyes when I closed his door.” He smiled when Yuuri huddled closer to him and rested his face in the crook of his neck. “What's on your mind, <em>detka?</em>”</p><p>“Mmm, you smell nice,” Yuuri purred. “I think someone's rut is coming soon.”</p><p>Victor blushed. “Y-yeah, it's getting ready to be about that time...why?”</p><p>Yuuri hummed as he nuzzled the scent gland in Victor's throat, taking in the smell of musk and evergreen. “Well, I was kind of thinking about going off of my birth control...and we could have another baby? Even if my heat doesn't sync up with you this time, we could at least start trying...”</p><p>Victor was a bit surprised at the suggestion, but if he were honest, the thought had crossed his mind too. They'd even discussed it before, always coming to a decision of <em>'maybe later' </em>or <em>'when Hiro gets a little older, I want him as our only baby for a little while longer.'</em></p><p>The topic had most recently come up, incidentally, from Takahiro himself. He had asked for a little brother for his upcoming fourth birthday, and he'd pouted when they explained to him that a baby brother or sister would take longer than three months to...arrange, as Victor had put it. Since that conversation a few weeks ago, it seemed Yuuri had been doing some thinking.</p><p>“Yuuri, are you sure?” he asked. “I know how much you love giving Hiro all of your attention...”</p><p>“Yeah...” Yuuri said with a shrug. “But ever since he brought it up I've been thinking, and...I think having a sibling would be good for him.” Being a younger sibling himself, he couldn't help smiling at the thought of another child looking up to Hiro the way he'd always looked up to and admired Mari growing up.</p><p>Victor, being an only child, may not have fully understood, but he could tell what Yuuri meant by what he said. “I agree,” he said. “Having a bond like that must have been nice growing up. Though...” he continued, giving his husband a cheeky grin as he rested his hand on his stomach, “something tells me you miss being pregnant too, hmm?”</p><p>Yuuri blushed. “Maybe a little...” he admitted. There was a part of his omega who often missed the feeling of a tiny life moving around and growing inside him, the thrill he'd felt back when he was pregnant with Hiro when he first noticed that he was showing, even his sometimes frantic nesting instincts, huddling up in Victor's jacket or blanket while cleaning the kitchen at 3 am.</p><p>“So let's say we did try,” Victor said. “We might be able to get Hiro what he asked for after all.”</p><p>Yuuri giggled. “In a sense, yes,” he said. “So that's a yes? You want to be a papa again?”</p><p>Victor captured Yuuri's lips in a warm kiss. “I'd love to be.”</p><p>“And if I skip my birth control tomorrow,” Yuuri said, his omega purring again, “would you like to start trying tomorrow night? Maybe even send Hiro to my parents' for the weekend?”</p><p>Victor hummed as he considered the offer. “That might be a good plan. Alpha misses having you all to himself...”</p><p>~~</p><p>About a week had passed since the baby discussion, and after checking in with his doctor, Yuuri had stopped his heat suppressant. Much to his surprise, he was already starting to feel preheat symptoms again. Dr. Nakamura had told him not to expect his next heat for at least two or three weeks, but it seemed that his bond with Victor had sped things up a bit with his omega sensing his alpha's rut coming up. He hadn't started his proper heat just yet, but he was feeling feverish, a little irritable and crampy...and, when he and Victor were alone, a bit frisky.</p><p>“Hiro-kun,” he asked his son while they watched cartoons together one afternoon, feeling a sense of bittersweet hesitation before continuing. He really did love moments like this, spending time with just Hiro, his baby boy, and now there was the possibility that a year from now there would be another child sharing that affection. Of course, he and Victor would love both kids equally, but a part of him was probably still going to miss this. The decision had been made, though, so Yuuri decided that he and Victor would do what they could to spoil their only child rotten while they still could. Victor was already making big plans for his birthday. “I was talking with <em>jiichan</em> this morning, and he asked if we could bring you to stay with him and <em>babachan</em> this weekend. Would you like that?”</p><p>“Yes! Please, <em>tousan,</em> can I please?” Hiro asked, his eyes blowing wide.</p><p>“Of course you can,” he said, chuckling at the way Hiro's face lit up. Hiro adored visiting his grandparents; Hiroko always spoiled him rotten with yummy treats and Toshiya would watch soccer with him and show off how much he'd grown to his friends. During his last visit they'd even let him go into the onsen—with supervision, of course, and only for about ten minutes before luring him inside with promise of freshly-baked cookies. It was always even more fun when Mari and her girlfriend Riza were visiting too. “You'll be a good boy for them, right?” Yuuri asked, winking at him.</p><p>Hiro nodded and smiled. “Uh-huh! I promise I will!”</p><p>Yuuri smiled fondly at his son. “I know. You always are, aren't you?” He playfully tapped the young boy's nose, making him giggle more. “We'll take you once Papa gets home from the rink. Want me to help you pack your bag?”</p><p>Hiro excitedly dragged Yuuri to his bedroom, going on about what all he planned to take with him. He listed everything from his favorite new jacket to Little Makka, his stuffed poodle that Yakov had gotten him when they'd visited St. Petersburg over the summer, and his picture books and several different outfits and toys.</p><p>“You're only going to be there for three days,” Yuuri teased, thinking about just how much like Victor he could be sometimes. “Are you sure you want to take all of that? You have things to play with there too.”</p><p>Hiro looked at his overnight bag, one that Yuuri had used in the past for his skating gear, then at the array of toys and books scattered across his bed. After a few moments he picked up his stuffed poodle and a book in Russian. “Can I take this one? I like when <em>babachan</em> reads to me at bedtime.”</p><p>“<em>Babachan</em> doesn't know Russian very well, <em>myshka,</em>” Yuuri reminded. “I'm sure she loves reading to you too, but maybe another book?”</p><p>“Oh, she's read this one to me before!” Hiro explained. “She just tells it differently than Papa does.”</p><p>Yuuri raised his eyebrow curiously. “Oh, is that so?” he asked playfully. “Then okay, you can take that one.”</p><p>Packing didn't take much longer after that, and soon the sound of Makkachin whimpering at the door signaled that Victor was home. Hiro ran to the living room to greet him and excitedly tell him all about visiting his grandparents for the weekend, while Yuuri silently winked at him from the couch.</p><p>“Someone's excited,” Victor chuckled, bending over and ruffling his son's hair. “You really love going to <em>babachan</em> and <em>jiichan's</em> house, don't you?”</p><p>“<em>Da!</em>” he said, nodding. “I wanna go in the onsen again! Can I, Papa?”</p><p>“Not by yourself,” Yuuri said, “but I'm sure if you ask <em>jiichan</em> really nicely he'll go with you.”</p><p>“Can you and Papa take me? You're coming with me, right?” he asked, turning to face Yuuri.</p><p>“Well...” he said, considering it for a moment. It would be nice to enjoy the onsen while he still could, before going another nine months having to avoid it. He was suddenly craving his mother's katsudon too, now that he thought about it. “Papa and I did have plans after dropping you off, but I suppose we could stay for a while and spend some family time together first...”</p><p>“Yaaaay~” Hiro cheered, grabbing his stuffed poodle and running for the door. “<em>Jiichan and babachan, going to visit jiichan and babachaaaan~</em>”</p><p>Yuuri picked up Hiro's duffel bag and followed him, with Victor bringing up the rear as they all headed back out to the car. He watched Victor open the back seat and lift Hiro into his car seat, kissing his forehead as he buckled him in, and he felt his heart swell. Seeing how sweet and domestic he was with their son never failed to give him butterflies.</p><p>And soon, his omega thought excitedly, he'd get to see even more of that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Family bonding time, and Yuuri gets some news.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And here's chapter 2! I still just have five chapters fully written so far, and I've started on 6, so I should still be able to keep up with this weekly schedule I'm trying out! I hope you all are enjoying this fic so far!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Several weeks had passed since Victor's rut and Yuuri's heat, and the couple had even continued trying to conceive after their cycles had ended. Yuuri had taken a couple of tests that had both come up negative, and while he and Victor were disappointed it only encouraged them to keep trying.</p>
<p>Yuuri woke up one morning to Victor nuzzling the scent gland in his throat. He initially tried to shove him away in favor of going back to sleep, but a soft kiss to his clavicle subdued him. “Vitya, what're you doing?” he groaned, squinting at him from beneath the covers.</p>
<p>“You smell nice,” Victor hummed. “You smell...different. Maybe you should take another pregnancy test.”</p>
<p>Yuuri hesitated. He didn't know if he was emotionally ready for another negative test result, not this soon. Besides, he hadn't experienced any symptoms like he had with Hiro, and it had been a week or so longer now than when he'd starting having morning sickness then...</p>
<p>Victor rested his hand on Yuuri's chest and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I know, <em>detka, </em>I know. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.”</p>
<p>“No, no, I know you're just excited,” Yuuri said. “But...not today. It could just be too early for a test to detect?”</p>
<p>Victor nodded. “Who knows? Maybe last weekend could be what did it. We'll do another one when you're ready.” He gave Yuuri a soft smile and captured his lips in a kiss as they both snuggled deeper under the blanket.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Hiro-kun, would you like me to take you skating today?” Yuuri asked, watching Hiro play with Makkachin while Victor got ready to go to the rink. With Yuri living and training with Otabek in Kazakhstan this season, Victor only had his novice skating class and private lessons at Ice Castle. Yuuko had also recently come to both of them about coaching the triplets. They would be turning 13 this spring, and would be able to compete at the junior level, and while they all loved having Victor as their teacher, their parents had agreed that all three of them might be a bit of a handful for him to handle on his own, so Yuuri agreed to step in and help.</p>
<p>Yuuri sometimes took Hiro to the rink to watch Papa skate, and the last few times he had asked if he could try. After discussing safety precautions and doing plenty of research, he and Victor had decided to let him. When Yuuri asked, Hiro's eyes twinkled with excitement.</p>
<p>“<em>Hai!</em>” he said, immediately hopping to his feet. “Take me skating, <em>tousan!</em> I wanna do the jumps like you and Papa!”</p>
<p>Yuuri chuckled softly at his enthusiasm. “You have to learn how to move on the ice first, silly. It took Papa and me a long time to learn how to skate like we did on TV. You'll have to hold my hand or onto the side boards so you don't slip and fall, okay?”</p>
<p>Hiro pouted for a moment, but he nodded. “Okay, I'll hold your hand,” he said. “But when we get home can we watch you and Papa on TV again?”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Yuuri said, feeling a surge of pride at how much Hiro seemed to enjoy watching his and Victor's old programs. “Let's get your jacket and shoes on and we'll go, okay?”</p>
<p>Hiro nodded happily and ran to his room to find his jacket. He gave Makkachin a goodbye kiss on his way out the door and wiggled eagerly when Victor strapped him into his car seat. The ride to Ice Castle was smooth, with Hiro talking nonstop about how he was going to say hi to the Nishigoris and how cool it was to see his papa and his <em>tousan</em> on the ice together, and how he wanted to be just like them one day. When Victor pulled the car into the parking lot he waved at Yuuko, who was standing by the front door of the rink.</p>
<p>“You're early!” she said as they made their way up the stairs, with Hiro leading the way. “Hi, Hiro-kun! Did you come to watch Papa?”</p>
<p>Hiro nodded. “Yeah, but <em>tousan's</em> gonna teach me to skate too!”</p>
<p>“Oh really? You look excited,” Yuuko said, opening the door to let him, Yuuri, and Victor inside before bringing up the rear. “We'd better find skates in your size then.”</p>
<p>Yuuri's heart fluttered as he watched Hiro follow Yuuko behind the counter and take his shoes off so she could help him find his size. He imagined later on, having a custom pair made for him if he decided he wanted to stick with skating. Yuuko found a pair that fit him and slipped them onto his small feet, tying the laces and making sure they were comfortable.</p>
<p>“They need to be snug on your ankles so you don't twist them if you fall,” she explained. “It's not so tight that it hurts, is it?”</p>
<p>Hiro swung his legs from the bench and experimentally tried to move his ankles. “No, they feel fine,” he said. “<em>Tousan,</em> Papa, look!”</p>
<p><a id="__DdeLink__2_1099832545" name="__DdeLink__2_1099832545"></a> “Wow, they suit you perfectly, <em>myshka,</em>” Victor said, eyeing him proudly. “We should get a picture!” He smiled at Yuuri, batting his eyes at him as he tied his own skates. “Yuura, put yours on too so we all match!”</p>
<p>Yuuri grinned and sat down on the bench next to Victor, and after putting his own skates on, still well-maintained even in his retirement, he handed his phone to Yuuko. “Would you mind?” he asked her. She smiled and took the phone, motioning for them to scoot make room for Hiro too.</p>
<p>“Hiro-kun, sit in between your parents, show off your skates for me!” she instructed. Hiro did as he was told, toddling over to the bench with Yuuri and Victor and climbing up into the empty space between them.</p>
<p>“'s hard to walk in these,” he pouted, looking up at Yuuri as he stuck his legs out, showing off the skates on his feet.</p>
<p>“It is at first, but it gets easier,” Yuuri assured him. “Smile at Yuuko, okay?”</p>
<p>Hiro turned to face the camera, beaming adorably as Yuuko got a few shots of him, Victor, and Yuuri. Finally she handed Yuuri his phone back, and he set his favorite of the pictures as his new background.</p>
<p>“Okay, ready for me to take you skating while Papa works with the triplets?” Yuuri asked Hiro, holding his hand as he got down from the bench. Hiro nodded and tried his best to hurry towards the door leading to the rink, but his ankles wobbled a little. “Be careful, you don't want to get hurt,” he gently chided. “We'll warm up with Papa and stay close to the boards, okay?”</p>
<p>Hiro nodded and followed his parents into the rink, where Axel, Lutz, and Loop were finishing up their stretches and heading onto the ice. Lutz was the first to notice the skates on Hiro's feet and she hurried over to him.</p>
<p>“Are you joining us today?” she asked, kneeling down to his level.</p>
<p>“Yeah! <em>Tousan</em> said I have to stay with him but we can watch you and Axel and Loop and Papa!” Hiro said. “And some day maybe I'll even get to skate with you!”</p>
<p>“I can't wait! Your papa is a great teacher, so I'm sure he'll give you lots of help!” she replied. “Don't forget to stretch first!” She playfully ruffled his hair before going to join her sisters.</p>
<p>“<em>Tousan,</em> how do I stretch?” he asked, looking back at Yuuri, who sat on the floor near the bleachers.</p>
<p>“Here, watch me and do what Papa and I do,” Yuuri said. He coached Hiro through a few simple stretches and warm-ups, helping him with his posture along the way. Finally they all stood up, and Victor went onto the ice first to join the girls. Hiro watched, enraptured, as he gave them instructions, clapping when one of them would attempt a jump. He felt Yuuri take his hand and looked up at him.</p>
<p>“The ice is slippery, so I'll step onto it first,” he instructed. “Then I'll help you. Ready?”</p>
<p>Hiro nodded. He waited for Yuuri to go out onto the ice, then held onto his hand and nervously followed. He whimpered softly when his feet made contact with the ice, but Yuuri held tightly onto his hand.</p>
<p>“It's okay, I've got you,” he assured him. “You're doing great, <em>myshka, </em>just hold onto me, okay?”</p>
<p>“Uh-huh,” Hiro said, taking a deep, shaky breath, and slowly he began to relax. He mimicked Yuuri, taking small steps along the edge of the rink. Eventually they made their way to the side where Victor and the triplets were, and he'd gained a bit more confidence in his footing along the way.</p>
<p>“Papa, look!” he exclaimed proudly. “I'm doing it, I'm doing it!”</p>
<p>Victor looked at his son, giving him an encouraging grin. “You sure are, look at you! You're doing so well!” The girls nodded in agreement, giving their own words of encouragement.</p>
<p>“I hope I can do jumps like you one day,” he said, looking up at Yuuri. “Can I see you do one, <em>tousan?</em>”</p>
<p>Yuuri blushed, looking hesitantly over at Victor. “I don't know...it's been a while since I've done them regularly, and I'm pretty out of practice...” Not to mention, far from top competitive form that allowed him to manage those jumps so well...</p>
<p>“Pleeease?” Hiro asked, squeezing Yuuri's hand. “Papa said you're really good!”</p>
<p>“You have your coach's permission,” Victor teased, winking at him. “And you, <em>malysh-kun,</em> have to promise not to try to imitate this until your body is more developed, okay?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Papa, I promise!” Hiro said. Victor came over and took his hand so that Yuuri could let go, and with a deep breath, Yuuri took off, trying to build up enough momentum.</p>
<p>A triple toe loop, he thought. That should be simple enough. He started into an impromptu step sequence, he prepared himself for the initial jump...but the moment his skates left the ice, he felt his stomach lurch violently in a way that had nothing to do with the audience watching him. He completed two rotations and barely managed to land without falling or even touching down, but he immediately rushed off of the ice and sat down on a bench, having to will his stomach to calm down. With his eyes closed and his head down, he didn't realize he'd been followed until he felt a pair of small hands on his knees.</p>
<p>“I thought you did a good job,” Hiro said, smiling at him. “It's okay, <em>tousan.</em>”</p>
<p>“Yuuri, are you all right?” Victor asked. “I noticed your landing was a little shaky, and then you took off like that...”</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” he said. “I don't know what happened, I jumped and suddenly felt like I was going to be sick...” He crossed his arms over his stomach while Victor rushed off to retrieve his water bottle for him.</p>
<p>“<em>Tousan</em>, do you need to lie down?” Hiro asked him, looking worried. “I'll sit with you and we can just watch, if you want...”</p>
<p>Yuuri nodded. “I'd like that. Sorry I couldn't skate with you for longer,” he said, letting Hiro take his hand again. He smiled when Victor returned, his sneakers in one hand and a water bottle in the other. He untied his skates and took them off, swapping them out for his normal shoes before taking a long swig of water.</p>
<p>“Papa, <em>tousan's</em> sick, so I'm gonna take care of him for the rest of practice,” Hiro told him as he climbed up onto the bench with Yuuri.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Victor said, eyeing Yuuri skeptically. “Are you sure you don't need anything else?” he asked. Yuuri nodded and drank some more water. It wasn't sitting quite right in his stomach, but if he was careful and drank slowly it helped a little bit. Giving him a kiss on the top of his head, Victor went back to the triplets, who watched the whole exchange while standing by the boards.</p>
<p>“Let's go up here, so I can watch Papa while I rest,” Yuuri said to Hiro, putting the blade guards back on his skates. “Take your skates off, okay?”</p>
<p>Hiro nodded and took them off, then he followed Yuuri to the bleachers, where they watched Victor coach the girls for the rest of practice.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Victor woke up the next morning to the distant sound of retching coming from the bathroom across the hall, followed by a weak whimper. In his half-asleep haze, it took him a moment to realize Yuuri wasn't in bed with him. He quickly rushed out of bed and to the bathroom, wanting to be at his husband's side if he needed him. He found Yuuri huddled on the floor, clutching the toilet bowl with shaking hands.</p>
<p><a id="__UnoMark__0_624296889" name="__UnoMark__0_624296889"></a> “<em>Lapochka?</em>” he asked in a soft voice, gently resting a hand on Yuuri's shoulder. “Are you all right?”</p>
<p>Yuuri nodded, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, I...I think so,” he said. “The worst of it's over, I think.” He crossed his arms in front of his stomach and carefully hugged himself, trying to will away any remaining feeling of nausea. First it was yesterday at the rink, and now this?</p>
<p>“Do you need me to get you anything? Some water? A damp washcloth? Do you need me to run you a bath?” Victor asked, the concern evident in his eyes.</p>
<p>“Actually, there's something,” he said, finally finding the energy to look up and into Victor's eyes. “There's another pregnancy test in the medicine cabinet. Can I have it?”</p>
<p>Victor blinked, a little surprised by Yuuri's response considering their conversation yesterday morning. Although, being sick twice in less than 24 hours, the change in his scent... “Of course, Yuura. Here,” he said, opening the cabinet and reaching for the small white pouch containing the last of the tests they'd bought. “I'll...I'll leave you to that and go check on Hiro.” With a soft kiss to the top of Yuuri's head, he left the bathroom, and Yuuri found himself alone again. After standing up and washing his face with cool water, he tore the pouch open and took the test, a part of him still expecting to see only one pink line after three minutes of waiting.</p>
<p>As it turned out, he didn't have to wait three minutes. Two clear, distinct lines appeared after about one.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Papa?” Hiro asked, rubbing his eyes when he saw Victor standing in his doorway. “Is <em>tousan</em> okay?”</p>
<p>“<em>Da, myshka,</em>” he said. “He woke up with a little bit of an upset tummy, but he'll be fine. Go back to sleep, okay?”</p>
<p>Hiro pouted and sat up in his bed. “I wanna go check on him. We can make him pancakes to make him feel better.”</p>
<p>Victor gave his son a gentle smile. “I don't think <em>tousan</em> is in the mood for pancakes right now, sweetheart. Perhaps something lighter? Would you like to help Papa make breakfast to surprise him?” he asked, his smile widening when Hiro nodded. “Good. I'm going to run him a bath first, and then get him back to bed. Get some more sleep for me and I'll come get you so we can surprise him together, okay?”</p>
<p>“Okay, Papa!” Hiro said, huddling back beneath his blanket. Victor watched his eyes drift closed right as he heard Yuuri groaning from the bathroom again. He hurried back to his side and found him dry heaving over the toilet, having apparently voided all of the contents of his stomach, and after a moment he noticed the pregnancy test sitting on the sink. The <em>positive</em> pregnancy test.</p>
<p>“Yuuri,” he said, his voice trembling. “You're...”</p>
<p>Yuuri looked over at him and nodded, smiling once the cramping in his stomach had subsided. “I am. How do you think we should tell Hiro?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuuri and Victor discuss their plans for the new baby. Victor's parents plan a visit. Victor and Hiro pamper Yuuri for his birthday.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I wanted to start by saying I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe! </p>
<p>I also just wanted to say that I'm so happy with how well-received this fic has been so far, as I've been brainstorming for it probably since I posted the epilogue for Next Level back in January. This past week has been an emotional rollercoaster for me so it's sort of nice to still have this bit of stability, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!</p>
<p>(And stay tuned for next week because I'm really excited to show you all chapter 4)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yuuri and Victor watched the screen of the ultrasound machine, somehow feeling just as antsy as they had during their first appointment for Hiro. And now, here they were, getting ready to see the first glimpse of their second child.</p>
<p>“You seem nervous,” Dr. Nakamura said, giving Yuuri a playful wink. “Has it really been that long?</p>
<p>“It's not that I'm nervous,” Yuuri said, not being <em>entirely</em> truthful. “It's just...we're still a little surprised to be here, is all. Even though we were actually trying for this one...”</p>
<p>Dr. Nakamura grinned as she squeezed a dollop of gel onto Yuuri's bare belly. “Have you told Hiro yet?”</p>
<p>Yuuri shook his head. “No, we only found our ourselves a few days ago,” he said. “We're trying to decide how to let him know.”</p>
<p>“Well, if I recall, he has a birthday coming up, doesn't he?” she asked. “If you think you could wait that long, maybe that could be a nice gift for him?”</p>
<p>Yuuri and Victor looked at each other for a moment. “Well, he did say he wanted a sibling for his birthday,” Victor said with a smile. “Maybe we could do that, if you wanted to?” He playfully squeezed Yuuri's hand as Dr. Nakamura placed the probe against his skin.</p>
<p>“It looks like your little one is developing well so far,” she said. “From the look of things I'd say roughly...nine weeks?” She gave them both a look. “About when did you start trying to conceive?”</p>
<p>“Well, my heat was about nine weeks ago,” Yuuri said, “so that sounds right.”</p>
<p>“I see,” she hummed, thinking to herself. “In that case that would put you at a due date of June 26<sup>th</sup>. You'll have a winter baby and a summer baby!”</p>
<p>Yuuri beamed as he looked at the squirming image on the screen. Even though he'd gone through all of this before, and it had been almost four years since Hiro was born, he hadn't forgotten the way he felt the very first time he'd seen Hiro on that same monitor.</p>
<p>“Hi there, little one,” he said. “Welcome to our family.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“So we're holding off until Hiro's birthday to tell him, but what about everyone else?” Victor asked, turning onto the street where they lived. The triplets were at school, and Takeshi and Yuuko had agreed to come over and babysit while they went to Yuuri's appointment.</p>
<p>“Well, I was thinking of telling the Nishigoris fairly soon,” Yuuri said, texting Yuuko to tell her they were almost home. “Since we'll need to let them know I won't be able to coach the girls after all. At least not on the ice. Maybe I can still choreograph for them?” He thought for another moment in silence. “Oh, and maybe we could tell everyone else on your birthday? It would be a perfect way to surprise everyone for Christmas.”</p>
<p>Victor nodded as he pulled into the driveway. “That sounds perfect,” he said. “We can make the announcement to your family over dinner, and take a picture with Hiro in front of the tree to send to everyone else...” He smiled at the idea of announcing Yuuri's pregnancy to their families and friends, and the smile only brightened when he saw Hiro in the window, waving as soon as he'd seen their car pull up. By the time he and Yuuri had made it to the front door he was already there to greet them.</p>
<p>“<em>Tousan!</em> How was the doctor?” he asked, hugging Yuuri's leg. “Did she give you a shot?”</p>
<p>Yuuri chuckled. “She did have to do some blood tests, but I was brave and it didn't hurt at all, see?” He rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and showed Hiro the bandage in the crook of his elbow. “Did you have fun with Takeshi and Yuuko?”</p>
<p>“Uh-huh! Yuuko made onigiri for lunch and I got to help! We even saved some for you and Papa!”</p>
<p>“Oh really? I bet they're super yummy, especially if you helped make them,” Yuuri said, admittedly feeling a bit hungry all of a sudden. “Where is Yuuko? I need to talk to her about something.”</p>
<p>“She's in the kitchen,” Hiro said. “What do you need to tell her?”</p>
<p>Yuuri gave his son a gentle smile. “Oh, nothing, just grown-up things. Why don't you and Papa go take Makkachin for a walk?”</p>
<p>Hiro nodded excitedly and ran to Victor, who was sitting on the couch with the poodle. “Papa, come walk Makka with me!”</p>
<p>Yuuri watched as Victor agreed and went to retrieve her leash, then headed to the kitchen where he found Yuuko and Takeshi cleaning up the leftovers from lunch.</p>
<p>“There you are!” she said, smiling at him as she sat down at the table, with Yuuri sitting next to her. “I overheard you saying to Hiro that you needed to talk?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, about how I had agreed to help coach the girls,” Yuuri said, hesitating, “I, um...I won't be able to after all, at least not on the ice.”</p>
<p>Yuuko gave him a look of concern. “Axel told me you missed a jump last week. You didn't hurt yourself, I hope?”</p>
<p>Yuuri shook his head. “No, I was fine, just a little queasy that day,” he explained. Then, with a nervous smile, he added, “It was morning sickness, actually. I'm pregnant.”</p>
<p>Yuuko's eyes lit up, and Takeshi smiled. “Yuuri, that's great! We totally understand,” she said. “The girls will understand too. How did Hiro take it?”</p>
<p>“Well, he doesn't actually know yet. We're going to wait until his birthday to tell him,” Yuuri said with a sneaky grin.</p>
<p>“Have you told anyone else yet?” Takeshi asked, his grin widening when Yuuri shook his head.</p>
<p>“Not yet, just you two for now,” he said. “Victor's parents are coming in for all of December, so since we'll have everyone together for Christmas and Victor's birthday, we were thinking of making the big announcement then. And then telling everyone else after that.” He smiled at the thought of it, and especially how excited Hiro would be after so much talk about wanting a sibling.</p>
<p>“I'm so excited for you,” Yuuko said, leaning in to hug Yuuri. “Did you want to tell the girls yourselves? We can have them call you when they get home.”</p>
<p>“You two can tell them, if you want,” Yuuri replied. “And I'd be happy to still work on choreography for their programs, and give them pointers and encouragement at the rink...”</p>
<p>“I'm sure they'd love that,” Takeshi said. “They'd want you and the baby to be safe.”</p>
<p>“So how far along are you?” Yuuko asked.</p>
<p>“Nine weeks,” Yuuri said, opening the envelope with his ultrasound pictures and test results in it. He passed one of the pictures over for his friends to see. “I'm due near the end of June, which means I'll still get to watch the girls compete when the season starts! I won't have to worry about travel sickness or being too far along to fly anywhere like when I was carrying Hiro,” he said, smiling softly as he rubbed his stomach under the table. It had ultimately been worth it in the end, of course, not being able to travel due to his pregnancy. And even for the last few years, he and Victor considered the first week of December to be '<em>Hiro's birthday week first, and GPF week second.' </em></p>
<p>Yuuko smiled fondly as she and her husband looked at the image in her hand. “Yuuri, we're so happy for you,” she said, handing it back to him carefully. “You have to tell us how Hiro reacts when you tell him!”</p>
<p>Yuuri gave her a nod, imagining the look on his son's face at the news. “I will. I might even try to convince Victor to record it...”</p>
<p>Their conversation was cut short by the sound of the front door opening, followed by Hiro telling Makka what a good girl she was while Victor unhooked her leash. Victor left Hiro and Makkachin to play while he joined Yuuri in the kitchen.</p>
<p>“Hey, Yuuri just told us the news, congratulations!” Takeshi said to him, giving him a solid pat on the back. “You're almost caught up with us!”</p>
<p>Yuuri paled for a moment. He loved the girls, he really did, but he couldn't imagine having three kids, especially all the same age. “I think we're just going to stick with these two,” he said with a laugh. Ever since his first pregnancy, Yuuri had held an even higher level of admiration for his childhood friend for managing to carry three babies to term all at once with her sanity intact.</p>
<p>“You know what, that's fair,” Yuuko said, grinning back at him. “We're glad your appointment went well, and we couldn't be more thrilled for you, but we should get going so that we can get ready to pick the girls up.”</p>
<p>Yuuri nodded. “Okay. Thank you again for watching Hiro.”</p>
<p>“<em>Da,</em> he couldn't stop telling me how much fun he had today,” Victor added, remembering all of the activities Hiro had excitedly listed off during their walk.</p>
<p>“We're happy to do it any time!” Yuuko said. “And that goes for his little sibling too, when they arrive.”</p>
<p>After a few more hugs and smiles and congratulations, the Nishigoris left and Yuuri suddenly felt the events of the day all hitting him at once. He put his head down on the table and let out a soft groan, and Victor frowned and rubbed his back.</p>
<p>“Are you all right?” he asked, watching Yuuri give him an unconvincing nod in response.</p>
<p>“Yeah, just tired,” he said. “It's been a long morning. I think I'm going to have lunch and maybe take a nap.”</p>
<p>Victor leaned over and kissed the top of Yuuri's head. “You deserve it. I'll keep Hiro occupied while you get some rest.”</p>
<p>Yuuri turned his head to give his husband a weary smile. Even after being married for so long, he couldn't help thinking how lucky he was to have someone like Victor to care for him.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Hiro-kun! Come in here and say hi to Baba and Deda!” Victor called, cuddling with Yuuri on the couch and smiling at his parents on his phone screen.</p>
<p>“You didn't wake the poor boy, did you?” his mother asked. “If this is his naptime we can talk to him later.”</p>
<p>“No, Mama, he just woke up,” Victor said. “He's just playing in his room.”</p>
<p>A moment later Hiro jumped up onto the couch and climbed into Victor's lap. “Baba, hi!” he beamed at her. “You're still coming for my and Papa's birthdays, right?”</p>
<p>The old woman chuckled. “<em>Da, da,</em> of course we are,” she said. “What should we bring our <em>myshka</em> for his birthday, hm?”</p>
<p>“Hmm...more books!” he said. “And candy!”</p>
<p>Yuuri giggled. If there was anyone on earth who was more eager to indulge Hiro's love for sweets than his own mother, it was <em>Victor's</em> mother, who had recently begun sending care packages of various snacks and sweets from Russia, some storebought and some homemade.</p>
<p>“I'll see what Deda and I can find,” she said with a wink.</p>
<p>“Your papa was telling us how you tried out your first pair of skates recently,” his grandfather said. “Eager to follow in your parents' footsteps, are you?”</p>
<p>“<em>Da!</em> It was scary at first but <em>tousan</em> held my hand the whole time!” Hiro said, smiling up at Yuuri. “He said we can go back soon, but he's been feeling sick so he hasn't been able to take me to the rink with Papa.”</p>
<p>Yuuri's in-laws looked at him with concern. “I thought you looked a bit pale,” his father-in-law commented. “Is there something wrong?”</p>
<p>“No, just, ah...a stomach bug going around,” Yuuri replied hastily. From the look Mama gave him, she wasn't buying a word of it, nor did she seem to accept his “unusual giddiness” earlier as just excitement for their upcoming arrival. “I'm taking care of myself, don't worry!”</p>
<p>Mama continued to eye him suspiciously, but she let the subject drop, at least for the time being. “Good,” she said with a grin. “It was wonderful to see all of you, and we're looking forward to our visit, but we should probably let you go.”</p>
<p>“Okay, Baba, Deda, see you soon!” Hiro said. He blew a kiss to both of them while Victor and Yuuri said their goodbyes, then Victor ended the call.</p>
<p>“Hiro-kun, why don't you go pick up your toys and wash up for dinner?” he asked. “I might just let you pick what we have for dessert afterwards...”</p>
<p>“Okay Papa!” he giggled excitedly before hurrying to his room. Victor and Yuuri both smiled and watched him, waiting until they were sure he was in his room before either of them spoke again.</p>
<p>“I think Mama suspects something,” Victor said with a smirk. “She didn't look like she believed your stomach bug excuse.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he agreed, “but that doesn't necessarily mean she knows I'm pregnant, right?”</p>
<p>Yuuri had barely finished the thought when he caught Victor looking at his phone screen and stifling a chuckle in his hand. Reading the curious expression on his face, Victor turned the phone around so that Yuuri could read the text his mother had just sent, moments after their call had ended.</p>
<p>“<em>So tell me, Vitya, when is Yuura due?”</em></p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Happy birthday, <em>tousan!</em>”</p>
<p>Yuuri groaned and slowly blinked his eyes open, immediately greeted by Hiro's smiling face. “Thank you, <em>myshka</em>,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse with sleep. “Where's Papa?”</p>
<p>“He's finishing lunch, and he sent me to come get you,” he replied. “Oh, and here,” he added, holding up his stuffed poodle for Yuuri to take.</p>
<p>“You're giving me Little Makka?” he asked, managing to sit up to stretch. He grinned when Hiro put the toy in his lap and climbed up onto the bed with him.</p>
<p>“Papa said you got sick again this morning,” Hiro said, frowning. “I'm sorry you got a tummyache on your birthday. I thought maybe Little Makka could watch you and help you feel better, like she helps me when I'm sick!”</p>
<p>Yuuri's heart melted at the gesture. “That's very sweet of you, Hiro-kun. I'm sure she'll do a great job. I'm feeling better already.” His stomach growled quietly, making Hiro giggle at him. “Let's go see what Papa's doing, hm?”</p>
<p>“Coming to tell his two favorite boys that lunch is ready, is what Papa's doing,” Victor grinned, standing in the doorway. “Are you feeling better?” he asked Yuuri, who nodded.</p>
<p>“Yeah, 'm a little hungry, since I slept through breakfast,” he said, clutching the stuffed poodle close to himself.</p>
<p>“I thought about waking you, but you had such a hard time this morning I figured I'd let you sleep in,” Victor explained. He walked over to the bed and kissed Yuuri's forehead. “Come on. I made your favorite. And after lunch we can relax and spend the day doing whatever you want.”</p>
<p>Yuuri smiled as he got out of bed, being careful not to trip over Makkachin as she too hopped down from the bed, eager to go to the kitchen for her lunch. He and Hiro followed Victor to the kitchen, where three bowls of katsudon sat on the table. His stomach growled again when he smelled his favorite food and he sat down, waiting for Victor and Hiro to do the same before digging in.</p>
<p>“<em>Itadakimasu,</em>” he said, still sounding a bit tired. He smiled as Victor and Hiro mimicked him before the three of them started on their meals. To his relief, his stomach didn't recoil at the smell of food, like it had been lately whenever he had his first meal of the day. Even this morning, he hadn't felt quite as sick as he'd felt in the last week or so. Maybe his morning sickness was finally starting to subside...</p>
<p>At the very least, his body was apparently giving him a break for his birthday, which was nice.</p>
<p>After they finished, Victor insisted on covering Yuuri's eyes and letting Hiro lead him to the living room. He was gently pushed onto the couch, landing with a soft <em>'oof','</em> and he gasped when he opened his eyes.</p>
<p>“Surprise,” Victor said, sitting down beside him and helping Hiro climb up onto their laps. “Fairy lights and a blanket fort, perfect for birthday cuddles. It was Hiro-kun's idea.”</p>
<p>Hiro smiled proudly up at Yuuri. “Do you like it?” he asked.</p>
<p>Yuuri looked around at the soft lights, strung up along the walls around the living room. An array of pillows and blankets had been carefully arranged around the couch, enveloping the three of them in warmth while Makkachin curled up and fell asleep at their feet. “I love it, it's so cozy,” he said, hugging his son and kissing his forehead. “Thank you, <em>myshka,</em> You and Papa did a great job.”</p>
<p>“Papa has another surprise for you too,” Victor said with a grin as he pulled out a flat, white box from behind one of the pillows. He handed it to Yuuri. “Something a little extra cozy to put on.”</p>
<p>Yuuri took the box and opened the lid, gasping when he saw a light blue turtleneck sweater, soft and fuzzy to the touch and nearly identical to the ones he just noticed that Victor and Hiro were wearing, which were purple and teal, respectively. And, upon closer inspection, the sweater was a size larger than what he usually wore, so he'd even have room to grow into it as the baby got bigger.</p>
<p>“This feels so nice, I love it,” he said, feeling himself tear up a bit. He set the box aside for a moment to take off the old t-shirt he was wearing and swap it out for the sweater.</p>
<p>“Now we all match!” Hiro said excitedly. “It looks good on you, <em>tousan!</em>”</p>
<p>Yuuri smiled and held Hiro close to him, leaning over to kiss Victor too. “I love you both so much. Thank you for all of this,” he said.</p>
<p>They spent the afternoon watching different movies, until Yuuri started to feel himself getting a bit drowsy again. Hiro had already fallen asleep, his head resting in Yuuri's lap. Yuuri looked down at him with a smile and softly stroked his hair, the same color as Victor's. The sudden touch startled Hiro, making him mumble something in his sleep before burying his face into Yuuri's sweater and wrapping his arms around his waist. A thought came to him, seeing Hiro's face pressed against his belly like that, and he smiled as he slid his free hand up his shirt to feel it.</p>
<p>“Say hello to your <em>niisan,</em> little one. He's giving you a hug.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Victor's parents come to visit, and everyone comes to celebrate Hiro's 4th birthday!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Guuuuuuuuyyyyys I've been itching to post this chapter since I started posting this fic. I had loads of fun writing it and it's probably undergone the most tweaks of any chapter so far just because I wanted it to be perfect when I updated this week! Lots of fluff and sweetness ahead. Enjoy!</p><p>Edit: fun fact about this chapter, when I was writing this chapter and figuring out what presents everyone was getting Hiro, I almost had someone get him a puppy. But then I realized that with a four year old, one dog, and being pregnant, Yuuri would probably end up throttling that person 😂</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“There's my darling little Hiroshka!” Victor's mother beamed, hurrying to where Victor and Yuuri stood. Hiro, excited to see his grandparents for the first time in person for nearly a year, quickly closed the gap between them by meeting her partway. He ran as quickly as his little legs could carry him and giggled when his baba picked him up for a hug.</p><p>“Papa, how was the flight?” Victor asked in Russian, coming to his father's side. “Yuura and I can get your bags, do you need to sit down?”</p><p>He shook his head. “I'm fine, Vitya, I'm not that old yet. Nadia, don't smother the poor boy, not before I get my hugs too!”</p><p>Victor's mother gave Hiro another big kiss on the cheek, leaving behind a soft pink lipstick mark, before letting him down to run to his deda. She smiled as she hugged her son and son-in-law, giving the latter a playful wink.</p><p>Yuuri and Victor had ended up telling her about the baby the evening of their video call, since she'd figured it out on her own anyway. She had promised to keep it a secret from Hiro, though she hadn't been able to keep quiet back in St. Petersburg.</p><p>“The ladies in my book club all want new pictures of Hiroshka,” she told Yuuri matter-of-factly. “They didn't believe me when I said how much he's grown. I'll need pictures of this one too,” she added, patting Yuuri's belly gently. “Keeping my new grandchild from me, thinking you could be sneaky...”</p><p>“Mama, we haven't told anyone yet,” Yuuri told her. “Well, two of my friends, because I had agreed to help Victor coach their girls and had to go back on it. But my parents and sister don't even know yet. We wanted to surprise everyone...”</p><p>Nadia patted Yuuri's cheek and gave him a smile. “I'm kidding, Yuura. How would you know I loved you like you were my own son if I didn't tease you like I've teased Vitya his whole life?”</p><p>Yuuri smiled back, the twinkle in her eyes reminding him of Victor. “I actually do have another surprise for you,” he said after a moment, watching as Victor retrieved their suitcases from the baggage carousel. “Viten'ka, should we tell hem now or when we get there?”</p><p>“I think...we should let Hiroshka decide,” Victor said, playfully ruffling his son's hair. “Why don't you tell Deda and Baba where they'll be staying, <em>myshka?</em>”</p><p>“With <em>jiichan</em> and <em>babachan!</em>” Hiro announced. “I helped them set up a room for you at their inn!”</p><p>“I remember you saying you wanted to try a Japanese onsen sometime, and you and Yuuri's parents get along so well,” Victor explained. “They practically insisted to have you stay.”</p><p>“Oh, that's so sweet of you,” his mother said. “Ivan, did you hear that? We get to see the Katsukis again! Yuura, how's your sister doing?”</p><p>“She's good,” Yuuri said. “She and her girlfriend have a place together now. We're kind of expecting one of them to pop the question any day now...”</p><p>Yuuri and Victor continued to catch her up on life in Hasetsu as they walked out to the car, while Hiro and his deda followed behind them exchanging stories. Victor put their luggage in the trunk while Yuuri buckled Hiro into his seat.</p><p>“Sorry the back might be a little bit of a squeeze,” he said, checking that Hiro's seat belt was tight enough. Ivan waved his hand and helped his wife into the car before getting in himself.</p><p>“Don't apologize, we get to be close to each other and our grandson,” he said, making Nadia giggle as he kissed her on the cheek.</p><p>Victor smiled as he watched his parents, still holding hands as he started the car. He looked over at Yuuri and imagined the two of them in about thirty years, perhaps in the back of Hiro's car, being just as much in love with each other as they were now.</p><p>He couldn't wait.</p><p>~~</p><p>“Are you ready, <em>myshka?</em>” Yuuri asked, guiding Hiro to the living room. “You're not peeking, are you?”</p><p>“No, <em>tousan,</em> 'm not peeking,” Hiro said, keeping his eyes covered with his hands.</p><p>“Good,” Yuuri smiled. “Just a few more steps, and...open your eyes, Hiro-kun!”</p><p>Hiro did as he was asked, letting his arms fall to his sides. The living room was filled with balloons and the dining room table had been moved to the center of it, and when he looked around he saw Victor, all four of his grandparents, Mari and Riza, Minako, the Nishigoris, and...</p><p>“Yuri-<em>nii!</em> Beka-<em>nii!</em> <em>Tousan</em> didn't say you were coming!” Hiro gasped, running over to them and hugging both of them.</p><p>“You thought we'd miss your birthday? Of course not,” Yuri chuckled, ruffling his hair. “Your parents worked hard on this party, of course we'd be here.”</p><p>“And look who else is here,” Otabek said, pointing toward the kitchen. Hiro looked and saw Phichit and Christophe smiling at him, each of them holding one side of a large birthday cake.</p><p>“Uncle 'Chit, Uncle Chris!” Hiro ran to both of them and hugged their legs, making Phichit wobble a bit.</p><p>“Hey, be careful, silly,” he laughed. “Let us set your cake down and I'll give you all the hugs, okay?”</p><p>Hiro nodded and wandered back to where everyone else was sitting. “Look, <em>tousan!</em> Look at how many people are here!”</p><p>“I know,” Yuuri said, smiling as he sat beside Victor on the couch. “Everyone came to celebrate your birthday with you, my big grown up four-year-old...”</p><p>Hiro giggled proudly. “Wow~” he said. “Thank you everybody!” He climbed up onto Mari's lap while Phichit and Chris set the cake down on the table. Yuuri had ordered a custom cake for his birthday, with a pair of skates drawn on in icing. Written on the skates was the kanji for Hiro's name, and right in between them was a candle shaped like the number 4.</p><p>“Make a wish, Hiro-kun,” Mari said, gently nudging him toward the table. Hiro took a deep breath and blew out the candle, giggling when everyone clapped for him. While the cake was being sliced and passed around, Yuuri smiled and looked around the room, seeing all of his closest friends and family. He jumped in surprise when he felt Victor's hand on his thigh.</p><p>“Nearly everyone's here,” he whispered. “Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”</p><p>Yuuri raised an eyebrow curiously. “I don't know, that depends on what you're thinking.”</p><p>“Well, we could tell Hiro today, and everyone else later, like we were planning,” Victor said, being careful not to be overheard by Mari on his other side. “Or...we could make the announcement to everyone today, after Hiro opens all of his presents. One more big present to give him in front of everybody, <em>da?</em>”</p><p>Yuuri thought it over for a moment. If he were honest with himself, Hiro probably wouldn't be able to wait until Christmas if they decided to go that route, and somehow he had a feeling Victor didn't want to wait either.</p><p>“Yeah, we can do that,” he said. He took a piece of cake when it reached him, handing one to Victor as well. He'd been craving sweets a lot lately, and he already knew he'd end up going back for leftovers later. By the time everyone had gotten a piece, Hiro had already finished his own and sweet-talked Uncle Chris into giving him another. Yuuri and Victor could already see the impending sugar high coming.</p><p>“Papa, <em>tousan</em>, can I open my presents now?” he asked, sitting on the floor by his parents.</p><p>“Hmm, I think so,” Victor said. He almost told him that there was one more present for after the rest had been opened, but he held his tongue. “Finish your cake and I'll start bringing them to you.”</p><p>Hiro excitedly ate a few more bites of cake, then gave his plate to Yuuri claiming to be full and climbed into Victor's spot on the couch the moment he got up.</p><p>“Okay, it looks like this first one is from <em>jiichan</em> and <em>babachan,</em>” Victor said, handing a large parcel to him. Hiro smiled and thanked his grandparents, who smiled back at him. He tore off the paper and lifted the lid on the box, pulling out a big, fluffy panda teddy bear. His eyes lit up and he hugged the bear tightly.</p><p>“It's so soft!” he giggled. “I love it! Thank you, <em>babachan </em>and <em>jiichan!</em>”</p><p>“We knew you'd like it,” Hiroko said, grinning and taking a picture of her excited grandson. “There's something else for you in the box too, for when you're out in the cold.”</p><p>Hiro reached into the box again, using one hand while he still hugged his new friend, and he pulled out a hat with a panda face and ears on it. He let out a happy little squeal and put it on. “Look <em>babachan!</em> Now we match!”</p><p>The Katsukis also got Hiro an assortment of smaller stuffed animals, some picture books, and some new pajamas. Victor's parents got him some art supplies and coloring books, a box of Baba's homemade cookies, which Hiroko had apparently helped her make the night before, and some Russian candies.</p><p>Yuuri and Victor looked at each other with mild trepidation. Maybe they'd let him spend the night at Yu-topia, letting their parents deal with the consequences of giving him all that sugar...</p><p>The rest of Hiro's presents, thankfully, contained no sugar; they ranged from more clothes, toys, and books, to a miniature Team Russia track jacket (a surprise that had been express-shipped from Georgi), to an iPad mini (“I'm not the cool big brother for nothing,” Yuri teased.) Finally, surrounded by empty boxes and discarded wrapping paper, Hiro smiled brightly at everyone.</p><p>“Thank you all!” he said, getting up to go around the room and give each of the guests a hug again. Victor sat by quietly and took pictures using the camera Phichit and Chris had gotten him.</p><p>“<em>Myshka, </em>come here please,” Yuuri said after a few moments. Victor switched the camera to video mode and began recording as Hiro made his way back to them. “Papa and I have one more surprise for you.”</p><p>“Really? Where is it?” Hiro asked, looking at where the pile of presents had just been, but all he saw was Makkachin curiously pawing at a balled-up piece of tissue paper.</p><p>“We, ah...didn't get to wrap this one,” Yuuri said. “But do you remember how you said you wanted a little brother for your birthday?”</p><p>Hiro nodded, and out of the corner of his eye Yuuri could see realization dawning on a few people's faces. “Yeah, but I thought you said you wouldn't be able to get me one...”</p><p>“Not for <em>this</em> birthday,” Victor said, zooming the camera in on Hiro's face. “And we don't know yet if it's going to be a brother or a sister, but you're getting a baby sibling and they'll be here before your birthday next year!”</p><p>Silence fell among the party guests for a moment, save for a muffled squeal from Phichit. Hiro's face lit up as he looked back and forth between his parents.</p><p>“Really?” he asked. “I'm gonna be a brother?”</p><p>“That's right,” Yuuri said, smiling. He took out his ultrasound photo from his hoodie pocket and handed it to him. “Remember when I went to the doctor's office last week? That's when Papa and I got this picture of the baby.”</p><p>Hiro examined the picture in his hands. “It doesn't look like a baby,” he said, eyeing Yuuri skeptically.</p><p>“Well, no, not right now,” Yuuri said. He could feel several sets of eyes on him and he blushed. “You looked like that too, once upon a time. The baby has to grow some more before it's born, and that takes a little while.”</p><p>“Oh...” Hiro said. “Where's the baby now? Can I watch it grow?”</p><p>Yuuri beckoned Hiro closer and took his hand, placing it flat against his belly. “It's in here,” he said. “It's growing in here, just like you did. And you'll get to see it grow too. I have to go back to the doctor every so often to see that it's healthy and growing properly, and we'll even get more pictures!”</p><p>Hiro stared at Yuuri's stomach with wide eyes. “Wow...” he gasped. He looked over at Victor, still holding the camera. “Papa, is there really a baby in <em>tousan's</em> tummy right now?”</p><p>“Yes, really,” Victor said with a chuckle.</p><p>“How did it get in there?”</p><p>There was a (poorly) muffled snort coming from Chris' general direction, and Yuuri heard a few scattered snickers from others too. “Papa and I will tell you later tonight,” he promised. “Why don't you go show everyone that picture?”</p><p>Hiro nodded and scurried over to the others. He proudly showed off the photo, and soon there was a line forming to hug Yuuri.</p><p>“I can't believe it, Yuuri, congratulations!” Phichit squealed, nearly knocking him into Victor.</p><p>“How far along are you?” Riza asked.</p><p>Yuuri thought for a few seconds. “Ten weeks, probably closer to eleven,” he said. “That ultrasound was at nine weeks, and my due date is June 26<sup>th</sup>.”</p><p>“How far away is June, Yuri-<em>nii?</em>” Hiro asked him, while Otabek looked at the picture and passed it over to Victor's mother.</p><p>“It's six more months,” Yuri explained. “And I know that might sound like a long time, but you know how your next birthday is a year away now? You're only going to have to wait about half that time for the baby. They'll be here before you know it.”</p><p>Hiro smiled. “Good. I can't wait to play with the baby and give it lots of hugs!”</p><p>Once everyone had gotten a turn seeing the picture and congratulating the expectant parents, Hiro made his way back to Yuuri on the couch and climbed up onto his lap.</p><p>“Can I talk to the baby?” he asked, prompting several <em>“aww”</em>s from the others.</p><p>“Well, it can't hear you just yet,” Yuuri said. “But yes, you can if you want to!”</p><p>Hiro giggled happily and slipped both of his hands up Yuuri's shirt. Victor aimed the camera at him to record another video, much to Yuuri's embarrassment.</p><p>“Um...hi there,” he said, rubbing the sides of Yuuri's belly. “I'm your big brother, Takahiro. <em>Tousan</em> says you have to live in his tummy for a while, but you have to hurry and grow big enough to be born so we can play, 'kay?”</p><p>And then he leaned over and kissed Yuuri's belly, making every heart in the room melt. Mari muttered something to Riza about how he was “already a model big brother.”</p><p>After a little while longer of socializing, playing with Hiro and his presents, and talking to Yuuri and Victor about the baby, the crowd slowly began to disperse. Hiro was especially pouty when Yuri, Otabek, Phichit, and Chris got ready to leave, but they had all promised to come see him again before they had to leave.</p><p>“So, <em>myshka,</em>” Victor asked, once they had the house to themselves again, “did you have a good birthday?”</p><p>Hiro smiled and hugged his papa's leg. “I did! I can't wait for next year so I can share my presents with the baby! Can we read one of my new books to it at bedtime?”</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Social media announcements, gender reveals, a bedtime story about lesbian princesses, and a name!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Update time again! This is the last chapter I had written when I first started posting, and while I did finish chapter 6 last night, my weekly schedule may get thrown off slightly moving forward. I'll do my best to still update every Monday, though, don't worry!</p>
<p>Now then, onto the chapter. I know I said the last one was my favorite but I really liked this one too! A lot of really cute things happen and Hiro is adjusting really well to being a big brother. I especially liked the ending of this chapter~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yuuri woke up on Christmas morning first, which was rare. His stomach felt a little unsettled, but his morning sickness had slowly been waning since the beginning of December. He usually found that a glass of water was enough to settle it back down, so he got up to head to the bathroom, being careful not to wake Victor. As he made his way down the hall he nearly collided with Hiro.</p>
<p>“Morning, <em>tousan,</em>” he said, rubbing his eyes. “Is the baby making you sick again?”</p>
<p>“Just a little, but if I get a drink of water I'll be fine,” Yuuri replied. “What are you doing up so early?”</p>
<p>“Gonna surprise Papa,” he said. “Baba helped me make him a birthday card, see?” He held up a card made of colored paper, covered in some of the paint and glitter he'd gotten for his own birthday, with three stick figures and a crudely-drawn dog on the front. “It's our family! See, the tallest one is Papa, this is me in the middle, and here's Makka, and here's you and the baby!”</p>
<p>Yuuri looked at the card and smiled. When he looked closer at the bespectacled stick figure on the right, he noticed a tiny figure drawn on the belly area, with a circle around it. When he opened the card, it said <em>Happy birthday, Papa! Love, Hiro</em> in messy Cyrillic. “Papa will love it,” he said, handing the card back to Hiro. He grabbed a small paper cup and filled it with water from the bathroom sink, then took small sips as he and Hiro made their way back to his childhood bedroom. Victor was still asleep, but Yuuri knelt down beside the bed and kissed him to gently wake him.</p>
<p>“Good morning,” he whispered. “Our son has a birthday surprise for you.”</p>
<p>Victor blinked his eyes open and smiled at Yuuri and Hiro. “Oh, really?” he smirked.</p>
<p>“Uh-huh! Baba helped me with it!” Hiro said proudly, holding the card out to him. Victor took it and looked at the front, chuckling softly at the depiction of Yuuri and the new baby.</p>
<p>“Wow, you did a great job, <em>myshka,</em>” he said, grinning when he opened the card. “You're so talented...”</p>
<p>Victor snuggled in bed with Yuuri and Hiro for a little while, and the three of them had nearly fallen asleep again when Mari tapped on the bedroom door.</p>
<p>“Come get your birthday breakfast, Vicchan, before it gets cold!”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Papa, can I wear my panda hat for the picture?” Hiro asked, clutching the beanie in his hands. Victor and Yuuri had decided to take a family photo in front of the Christmas tree in the main banquet room of the inn, wearing their matching sweaters, for their social media announcement picture.</p>
<p>“Of course,” Victor said. “You'll look adorable. Do you want me to hold you?”</p>
<p>“Yes please!” Hiro exclaimed. He put on his hat and held his arms up in the air. Yuuri chuckled as he watched Victor lift him, scratching behind Makkachin's ears while he waited for Mari to return with her camera.</p>
<p>“Okay, are you ready?” she called a moment later, smiling as she walked in. “In front of the tree, all of you. Makka too.”</p>
<p>Yuuri stood up and led Makkachin toward the Christmas tree, and Victor took his place beside him, making Hiro giggle by giving him soft raspberries on his round cheeks.</p>
<p>“Okay, boys, smile!” Mari instructed. “Oh, and Yuuri...hands on the belly. This is your baby announcement, yeah? Show off a little!”</p>
<p>Blushing, Yuuri nodded. He let one hand rest on top of the soft curve of his stomach, currently more just evidence of of his post-retirement indulgence than of his pregnancy, and cradled the bottom of it with his other hand. He smiled brightly as Mari took the picture.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>[Image Description: Retired figure skaters Yuuri and Victor Katsuki-Nikiforov are standing in front of a Christmas tree. Victor is holding the couple's four-year-old son, Takahiro, and their poodle Makkachin is sitting at their feet. Yuuri is gently cradling his own belly.]</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> “Merry Christmas from the Katsuki-Nikiforovs! We're proud to announce our newest addition, coming this June!”</em>
</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>A couple of weeks had passed since Christmas, and after the new year had started things quickly fell back into their usual routine. Victor continued coaching the triplets, while Yuuri and Hiro cheered them on from the sidelines. Yuuri and the baby both went into his second trimester healthy and thriving, and Hiro was quickly adapting to his new role as an older brother.</p>
<p>“<em>Tousan!</em> Papa's going to the store and wants to know if you want anything!”</p>
<p>Yuuri was standing shirtless in front of the mirror, trying to choose which of two sweaters he wanted to wear for the day, when he noticed Hiro standing in the doorway. “Oh, you startled me,” he said, turning to face him. “I don't need anything, but tell Papa thank you.” Instead of scampering off to the living room, Hiro slowly approached Yuuri with wide eyes and reached upwards.</p>
<p>“<em>Tousan,</em> the baby!” he gasped, his small hands gently touching his lower belly.</p>
<p>“What about the baby?” Yuuri asked, blushing. “Are you saying hi?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Hiro said, nodding. “But look, it's getting bigger, just like you said!” He gave Yuuri a soft pat as he looked up at him in excitement. “Will it be big enough to come out soon?”</p>
<p>Yuuri chuckled and sat down on the edge of the bed. Since giving birth to Takahiro, his body had fluctuated more, and he'd started out this pregnancy with a slight tummy already, so he hadn't really paid much attention to the more subtle changes over the last several weeks. But when he put his hand between Hiro's, he could feel where a solid bump was beginning to form below his belly button. “You're right, it is growing,” he said after a moment. “Still not enough to come out, though. Remember Papa said it won't be born until summer?”</p>
<p>Hiro nodded, giving Yuuri a disappointed pout. “But I wanna play with the baby!” he said.</p>
<p>“I know, <em>myshka,</em>” Yuuri told him, ruffling his hair. “But pretty soon it'll be developed enough that it can hear you when you talk to it! And when I go to Dr. Nakamura this week we'll get to see if it's a boy or a girl!”</p>
<p>This seemed to appease Hiro a bit, and he looked back at Yuuri's bump with a smile. “At first I wanted a brother, but now...I kinda feel like it's a girl,” he said after a moment. “I think I want a little sister. Then I'll be just like you!”</p>
<p>Yuuri couldn't help grinning, both at the idea of raising a little girl and at Hiro's comment. “That's true,” he said. “Except Mari-<em>neesan</em> is older than me, not younger. Do you really think it's a girl, Hiro-kun?”</p>
<p>Hiro stared intently at Yuuri's tummy, rubbing the sides as he considered the question. “Mmm, I think so,” he finally said. “Hey, <em>tousan,</em> if it is a girl, can we name her Makkachin?”</p>
<p>Yuuri stifled a laugh as he finally decided on his red sweater, picking it up and slipping it over his head. “We can't do that, silly,” he said. “Our Makka already has that name.”</p>
<p>Hiro tilted his head to the side. “But why? You and Yuri-<em>nii</em> have the same name.”</p>
<p>Yuuri was about to say something in reply when Victor appeared in the doorway.</p>
<p>“Did you ask <em>tousan</em> if he needed anything while we were out?” he asked, smiling at the sight of his husband and son.</p>
<p>“He said no,” Hiro replied. “Papaaaa, he said we can't name the baby Makka! You should tell him to say yes!”</p>
<p>Victor shared a look with an amused Yuuri, then he looked back down at Hiro. “I'll do my best to change his mind,” he said with a grin.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Wow, Takahiro, look at you! You've grown so much!” Dr. Nakamura said, grinning at him when she entered the exam room. He beamed at her proudly from his spot in Victor's lap as he watched her take her seat beside Yuuri. He had begged his parents to come along for this appointment and had been on his best behavior all morning. “Did you come along to meet your little brother or sister?”</p>
<p>Hiro nodded. “<em>Da!</em> Papa said we get to find out what the baby is today, but I think I already know. I bet it's a girl!”</p>
<p>“Oh, is that so?” she asked, grinning back at him as she turned on the sonogram machine and typed in Yuuri's information. “Well, you'll get to find out soon. Do you know what this machine is here?” she asked him. He shook his head. “This is called a sonogram machine, or an ultrasound machine. I'm going to use this little wand here,” she explained, holding up the probe, “and put it on your <em>tousan's</em> belly, and it'll show pictures of the baby on this screen. This is how we see how it's growing, and what it's doing in there.”</p>
<p>“Woooow~” Hiro gasped, looking at the machine, the probe in her hand, and over at Yuuri. “It doesn't hurt <em>tousan,</em> does it?”</p>
<p>“Of course not,” Yuuri assured him. “She does have to put this gel on me so that the pictures show up, and it's cold, but nothing hurts, I promise.”</p>
<p>The worry dissipated from Hiro's face and he smiled again, watching as Yuuri lifted his shirt. Dr. Nakamura applied the gel to his skin, making Hiro giggle when Yuuri shivered at the sensation. Next, she touched the sensor to his lower belly and watched the screen until a clear image appeared.</p>
<p>“Baby number two looks very healthy,” she said after a moment. “A little smaller than Hiro was at 16 weeks, but still within a healthy range.”<br/>“Can I see? I wanna see the baby!” Hiro exclaimed, bouncing excitedly in Victor's lap. Victor gave him a gentle squeeze around the waist in an attempt to calm him, but Dr. Nakamura chuckled and beckoned him over.</p>
<p>“You're such a good brother already,” she said, moving out of the way so that Hiro could climb into her chair to see better. Yuuri's heart melted at the sight of Hiro's awestruck face as Dr. Nakamura pointed out the baby's head, arms, and legs, and let him listen to the heartbeat. He almost couldn't believe that there was a time when he was that small.</p>
<p>“It looks like you were right,” she told him. “You're getting a baby sister, Hiro-kun!”</p>
<p>Hiro and his parents all beamed and looked at the screen. Victor looked like he was on the verge of tears as he reached for Yuuri's hand.</p>
<p>“Yuuri, we're having a girl!” he gasped. “Think of all the adorable little matching outfits we can get for her and Hiro-kun...”</p>
<p>Yuuri smiled and nodded. He could already picture his daughter in pretty, flowing dresses, with Victor braiding her long hair the way he used to with his own.</p>
<p>“Do you have any names picked out for your sister?” Dr. Nakamura asked Hiro as she printed out a few pictures, then wiped Yuuri's belly clean with a damp cloth.</p>
<p>“Makkachin!” he replied immediately. “I wanna name her Makkachin, just like our poodle!”</p>
<p>Dr. Nakamura shared a look with Yuuri and Victor, then looked back at their son. “I think that's a very nice name,” she told him.</p>
<p>“See?” he said, eyeing his parents. “Doctor-san thinks Makkachin is a good name!”</p>
<p>Yuuri and Victor both chuckled. “We'll think about it,” Victor said, giving his son a teasing wink. “For now, how about I take you and <em>tousan</em> out for lunch before I go to practice?”</p>
<p>“<em>Hai!</em>” Hiro exclaimed. “Can we get katsudon, Papa?”</p>
<p>Yuuri had suddenly never felt more proud of his son, he thought as he stood up from the exam bed.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“What bedtime story do you want me to read to you tonight?” Yuuri asked, tucking Hiro into his bed for the night. “I'll go get it from your bookshelf for you.”</p>
<p>Hiro looked over at his collection of picture books and considered his options. “Hmm...what about the princess one Auntie Mila and Auntie Sara sent me?”</p>
<p>Yuuri chuckled and nodded, going over to retrieve the book. It took a moment, and he had to cradle his bump as he bent over slightly, but he made his way back to the bed and sat down beside Hiro. He cleared his throat and opened it to the first page. “Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Alina. She was very well-liked by the people of her kingdom, because she was very kind, and—<em>oh...</em>”</p>
<p>Hiro looked up at Yuuri curiously. “And what, <em>tousan?</em>”</p>
<p>Yuuri gave his son a gentle smile, taking a moment to show him the picture on the page. “The princess was very kind and generous, and was known for having big, extravagant parties in her castle and inviting everyone in the kingdom. One day a princess from a neighboring kingdom--” He stopped short again, this time bringing a hand to the side of his belly.</p>
<p>“<em>Tousan?</em>” Hiro gasped, sitting up quickly. “What's wrong?”</p>
<p>“Nothing,” he replied calmly, smiling as a familiar sense of excitement washed over him. “I felt your sister move all of a sudden, and she just startled me, is all.” He rubbed his hand over the spot where he'd felt her kick. “Do you want to feel her?”</p>
<p>“Yes!” Hiro exclaimed. He put both of his hands close to Yuuri's on the side of his bump and gasped when he felt a slight pressure against his touch. “Wow, was that really the baby?” he asked. Yuuri nodded. “It doesn't hurt you, does it?”</p>
<p>“No, it doesn't hurt. Right now it just kind of tickles,” he explained, deciding not to tell him that things would get considerably more uncomfortable later on. “Oh, did you feel that? She's saying, <em>'Hi, Hiro-nii! Hi, tousan!'</em> Do you want to say hi back?”</p>
<p>Hiro grinned excitedly and scooted closer to Yuuri, carefully tugging his shirt up. “Hi...” he started to say, before looking back up at Yuuri. “What should I call her? She still doesn't have a name...”</p>
<p>Yuuri gave him a playful smile. “Well, what do you think we should name her? And don't say Makkachin again, silly,” he teased, reaching to tickle Hiro's sides. The boy laughed and squirmed away, bumping his hand into the book Yuuri had set aside. He looked at it, and at the picture of the ebony-haired princess on the cover. “What about...A...Ari...”</p>
<p>“Alina? Like the princess in your book?” Yuuri asked. Hiro still stumbled on pronouncing the letter L sometimes, and it never failed to be adorable.</p>
<p>“Yes!” Hiro said. “Princess Ari-chan!” He put his hands back on Yuuri's belly and smiled at it. “Do you like that name, Ari-chan?”</p>
<p>Yuuri giggled as he felt a soft fluttering in his stomach. “I think she does,” he said. “She says it's a very pretty name, Hiro-<em>nii.</em>”</p>
<p>Hiro giggled and blushed. “I knew she would! Now can we finish the story, <em>tousan?</em>”</p>
<p>Yuuri nodded and picked the book back up. He read through the rest of the story and showed Hiro all of the pictures, and he playfully ruffled his hair when he yawned at the very last page.</p>
<p>“Is someone getting sleepy, <em>myshka?</em>” he teased. Hiro pouted and shook his head, but his eyelids were clearly starting to droop. He looked back down at the book and continued to read, “...and the two princesses lived happily ever after in their big castle together, with their new pet unicorn to keep them company.”</p>
<p>“Mmm, I liked that story,” Hiro mumbled. “Read it again?”</p>
<p>“Maybe tomorrow,” Yuuri said. “Right now it's bedtime. Kisses?” He watched Hiro nod sleepily and he leaned in to give him a soft kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight, Hiro-kun,” he whispered, then stood up to leave.</p>
<p>“Wait,” Hiro said. “I wanna kiss the baby.” He watched Yuuri come back, then he sat up and lifted his shirt again before kissing his belly. “G'night, <em>tousan.</em> G'night, Princess Ari-chan.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuuri gets an offer.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First off, thanks to Lucca from my discord server for betaing this for me!</p>
<p>This chapter is a little shorter than the last few have been, but it's a bit more...idk, linear, not as abrupt in jumping from one scene to another. I know none of you have really said anything against that style but I've been kind of worrying lately it's come across as a little much, so I wanted to work on making it less frequent. Also, I introduce a new character in this chapter! He was supposed to just be a bit character for the one scene, but I got kind of attached to the guy and decided I wanted him to play a bigger role later in the story. So, he's not necessarily going to become a main character but you're definitely going to be seeing more of him!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Here, hold your leg up more like this,” Minako said to Hiro, carefully adjusting his posture. “You're doing really well, I'm so proud of you!”</p>
<p>Hiro smiled proudly at the bit of praise, and Yuuri looked even prouder as he watched from the back of the room. For his birthday, Minako had offered free ballet lessons to Hiro, and so far he seemed to be enjoying them, especially when Yuuri joined in or practiced with him at home.</p>
<p>“Like this, 'Nako-sensei?” he asked, pointing his toes a bit more and holding his leg slightly higher. The ballet instructor clapped and nodded excitedly.</p>
<p>“Just like that! You're a natural,” she said. “You already remind me of your <em>tousan</em> when I started teaching him!” She looked at Yuuri and winked. “And speaking of your <em>tousan...</em>why don't you do a few more stretches while I talk to him for a bit, and we'll move onto the next position before calling it a day?”</p>
<p>“Okay, 'Nako-sensei!” Hiro chirped, sitting on the floor and doing some of the basic stretches she had been teaching him. Meanwhile, Minako joined Yuuri in the back and sat down beside him.</p>
<p>“You're doing a great job teaching him,” he said. “I can't help thinking you're a little easier on him than you were on me though...” he added, pouting playfully.</p>
<p>“Well, you were about twice his age when you started taking lessons,” Minako teased back. “Then again, maybe I'm getting soft in my old age. That's sort of why I wanted to talk to you.”</p>
<p>Yuuri looked quickly over at Hiro, then back at Minako. “Really? How so?”</p>
<p>“Well, Yuuri, we both know I'm not getting any younger,” she began, “and honestly, running two businesses is starting to wear on me. I've been thinking it over for a while, and I'm probably going to retire from teaching dance and just focus on my bar. And I was wondering if you'd want to take over the studio for me. After the baby comes and you recover, of course.”</p>
<p>“Me?” Yuuri asked. “I mean...I'm flattered that you'd ask, but...why me?”</p>
<p>“You kidding? You're easily my most well-known pupil who still lives in Hasetsu. I've had students asking me about bringing you on as an instructor since you announced your retirement,” Minako said. “People would love to have you teach them to dance like you.”</p>
<p>Yuuri hesitated, nervously rubbing his bump. If he thought about it, the idea did sound appealing to him; it did get tiring spending most of his time around the house, and while he had always wanted to teach <em>something </em>after retiring, a part of him had always felt like Victor was more suited to coach aspiring skaters than he was. “Well...I'd have to talk it over with Victor, of course,” he finally said, “and there's the matter of who would watch Hiro and Alina if we were both working...”</p>
<p>Minako nodded. “I understand. I don't expect you to make such a big decision overnight, especially with so much going on already,” she said. “But there's a reason you were my first choice. It'd mean a lot if you at least thought it over.” She shared a smile with Yuuri before reaching out and gently patting his belly. “But more importantly, tell me, how's that baby doing?”</p>
<p>“She's doing great!” Yuuri said, rubbing his bump with a smile. “She's been more active recently, and Victor doesn't believe me but I swear she's even more so when Hiro talks to her. And oh, he adores talking to his baby sister. Right, Hiro-kun?” he asked, calling across the room.</p>
<p>“What is it, <em>tousan?</em>” he asked, curiously eyeing him and Minako until the latter beckoned him over.</p>
<p>“Yuuri tells me you're already making friends with your baby sister, is that true?” she asked, watching him grin from ear to ear.</p>
<p>“Uh-huh! We watch cartoons together with <em>tousan</em> while Papa is at work, but <em>tousan</em> says she can't see the TV so I always tell her what's happening,” he explained. “Oh, and sometimes I sing to her, 'cos Papa said he used to sing to me when I was in <em>tousan's</em> tummy, and I think she might like it too.”</p>
<p>Minako chuckled and nodded, listening to Hiro continue to talk about the various ways he would spend time with his sister. “Do you think she'll want to skate or do ballet with you when she gets old enough, Hiro-kun?”</p>
<p>Hiro looked up at her, then over at Yuuri's stomach, then he smiled. “I hope so. I want to teach her everything that you and <em>tousan</em> have taught me! And maybe one day we can skate together like Papa and <em>tousan</em> used to!”</p>
<p>The three of them continued to discuss the baby, and Hiro's ballet lessons, and Victor coaching the triplets, until Minako had to get ready to open the bar up for the evening. On the way home, Yuuri tucked away the conversation about taking over the studio in the back of his mind, knowing that he'd stress himself out if he put too much thought into it right away. He didn't think about it again until later that afternoon when Victor came home. He greeted him at the door with a kiss, holding him close and not letting him go for several seconds.</p>
<p>“Is something on your mind, <em>detka?</em>” Victor asked, gently rubbing his back.</p>
<p>“Mmm...” Yuuri hummed, nodding softly. “I do have something to talk about with you. Minako asked me about it during Hiro's ballet lesson today.” He led Victor to the couch and sat down beside him before continuing. “She...she's thinking about retiring from teaching dance and she wants to pass the studio down to me, after Alina is born.”</p>
<p>Victor blinked in surprise. “Oh...” he said. “Well, is that something you would want?”</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Yuuri replied, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “I mean, maybe? I think I'd be good at it, but...if we're both working, who would watch the kids? And I don't really know all that much about running a business; Mari always handled the bookkeeping stuff that our parents taught us, so that I could focus on my skating career...”</p>
<p>“Well, I'm sure you could ask them for advice,” Victor suggested. “Or even better, you could talk to Christophe, since he has his own studio now. He'd be the perfect one to talk to, besides Minako herself...and as for childcare, we were thinking about enrolling Hiro in preschool next year, right? And by then Alina will be old enough that we can leave her with a sitter for a few hours, or even work our schedules so that one of us could be around...”</p>
<p>Yuuri nodded. “That's true,” he said, looking down at his bump as he considered his options. “She did say a lot of her students mentioned wanting to learn a thing or two from me, and was considering at least bringing me on as a teacher.”</p>
<p>“That's a good idea, actually!” Victor said. “Maybe you could start out by running a novice class, so you can get to know people, build a rapport with them. Something low-impact so that it's friendly for beginners or even other pregnant people, maybe?” He reached over and rested a hand on Yuuri's thigh. “That way you'll get a chance to see how you like it before diving right in?”</p>
<p>Yuuri smiled. “Yeah...I could invite parents to bring their kids too, so Hiro could have someone his own age to play with. He's really been enjoying his lessons; he learned a lot today. Right, Hiro-kun?” he asked, looking over at Hiro as he stood in the hallway.</p>
<p>“Uh-huh! Wanna see what 'Nako-sensei taught me today, Papa?” he asked excitedly, rushing to the living room.</p>
<p>Victor chuckled at his son's enthusiasm and nodded. “<em>Da,</em> of course I do.”</p>
<p>Hiro smiled proudly and raised his arms above his head, then slowly lifted one leg while pointing his toes out. He wobbled a bit as he focused all of his weight on his other foot, but he managed to keep the pose for several seconds before his legs got tired.</p>
<p>“Wow~” Victor said, his own heart-shaped smile mirroring Hiro's. “So talented! Say, Hiro-kun...what would you think of <em>tousan</em> helping Minako-sensei teach at the studio?”</p>
<p>Hiro's eyes lit up as he looked over at Yuuri. “Are you going to, <em>tousan?</em> That would be so cool!”</p>
<p>Yuuri smiled, his heart fluttering at his son's excitement. “Well, I haven't made a solid decision yet,” he said, “but I might start teaching there, if Dr. Nakamura says I can. Will you be my little helper if I do?”</p>
<p>“<em>Hai!</em>” he giggled, hugging Yuuri's legs. “Please do it, <em>tousan!</em> Pretty please?”</p>
<p>Yuuri chuckled and ruffled Hiro's hair. “We'll see, <em>myshka.</em>”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Good afternoon, everyone,” Minako said, looking at her beginners' class. “You've probably noticed some new faces up here with me. This is Yuuri; he'll be assisting me in this class for a little while. And Hiro-kun here will be helping, too!”</p>
<p>“Hi!” Hiro chirped, waving at everyone. Several members of the class waved back, smiling and whispering between themselves how adorable he was.</p>
<p>“It's very nice to meet you,” Yuuri said, bowing politely to the class. “I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you.” He was relieved to see another pregnant omega in the class, standing near the back. There were even a few kids in the mix, standing close to their parents; the youngest appeared to be around Hiro's age. The omega in the back raised his hand nervously, his prominent belly sticking out from his otherwise slight frame.</p>
<p>“This won't be too intense, will it?” he asked. “I, um...wasn't sure what to expect when my sister invited me, and she ended up not making it today...”</p>
<p>Yuuri smiled at the student. “Don't worry, this is a novice class, it's very low-intensity. I'm actually 18 weeks along myself,” he said, putting a hand on his own bump, “so I'll be happy to work with you to make sure you and your baby are safe!”</p>
<p>The young man let out a sign of relief. “Okay, thank you,” he said, giving a shy smile to both Yuuri and Hiro. As Minako began the lesson, Yuuri went around the room, asking each student for their name, helping a few of them with their posture, all while keeping a close eye on Hiro and the other kids as they played together in the back. He couldn't help but notice the omega in the back, how surprisingly flexible he was and how good a sense of balance he possessed, despite the change in his center of gravity.</p>
<p>“You're doing very well,” he commented when he made his way to him. “I'd suggest keeping your back a little straighter, but for someone who seemed as nervous as you did, you seem like you've got some experience...”</p>
<p>“Well, my sister and I took ballet together as kids,” he explained. “She kept up with it after the first few lessons we took together, but I decided it wasn't really for me. This was mostly to get me out of the house for a while, I've been doing yoga to stay active but I needed a change of scenery, and well...<em>neesan </em>really seems to like Minako-sensei<em>.</em>..” He straightened his spine a little, almost immediately feeling less pressure on his lower back as a result. “Thank you, senpai...”</p>
<p>Yuuri chuckled at the title. “You can just call me Yuuri,” he said. “And I'm glad you decided to join us. I've known Minako since I was little, she's a longtime friend of my mom's and a great teacher.” He looked up at the front of the room, smiling fondly at her. “She's actually trying to talk me into helping out here more often, and I was considering offering some other classes too, like yoga. You're welcome to join me there if I do.”</p>
<p>“I'd like that, Yuuri,” the younger man said, giving Yuuri a shy smile.</p>
<p>For the duration of the lesson, Yuuri continued to walk among the students to help or answer questions, checking back in with his new omega friend, who had introduced himself as Taro, a 19-year-old who was about midway through his first year of college, and had just entered his third trimester of pregnancy. When Minako dismissed class, everybody thanked her and Yuuri as they left, and Hiro pouted as he said goodbye to his new friends, but promised to see them again soon. When Victor came to pick up him and Yuuri, he immediately launched into an excited recap of the class, telling him all about how he and the other children played and imitated their parents, and how everyone really seemed to like Yuuri as Minako's assistant.</p>
<p>“Oh, is <em>tousan</em> that popular already?” Victor teased, patting Yuuri's thigh as he got into the passenger seat. “I knew you'd be a natural at it, Yuuri. Do you think you'll want to do this full time?”</p>
<p>Yuuri thought it over again, remembering how Taro in particular seemed to really admire him, almost reminding him of the way younger rinkmates used to look up to him when he was still competing. He saw him coming out of the building while reading something on his phone, as a car pulled up behind where Victor was parked. He couldn't see the driver, but when Taro headed for it and got in, he could only assume it was either his sister or his partner. As the car passed them, he saw Taro wave and smile at him for a brief second.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I think I will stick with it.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's Valentine's Day! Chocolates, kisses, and more~</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let's just uh. Not think too hard about the fact that I'm posting the Valentine's Day chapter in late April (or that the Christmas chapter was two weeks ago). This chapter's just pure fluff and I had a blast writing it. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“And...done,” Yuuri whispered to himself, admiring the batch of finished Valentine's Day chocolates sitting on the counter. He'd made some for Victor and Hiro, of course, and for his parents, and Mari and Riza. For the last several years, he'd made it a tradition to give each of the Nishigori triplets chocolates too, but this year he'd made them extra special, as thanks for agreeing to babysit Hiro later that evening. After taking a few pictures of the chocolates, arranged neatly in a row and each in its own unique, pretty foil wrapping, he picked up the ones for Victor and Hiro and set the rest aside.</p>
<p>“Happy Valentine's Day to the two loves of my life,” he said with a soft grin, finding his son and husband on the couch watching cartoons. Hiro perked up at the sight of Yuuri and scooted over to make room for him.</p>
<p>“Did you make us chocolates, <em>tousan?</em>” he asked, eyeing the way Yuuri held his hands behind his back.</p>
<p>“Maybe,” he replied, winking. “That depends on if I get my Valentine's kiss or not.” He sat down on the middle seat of the couch, between Hiro and Victor, and gave each of them their treats as they both gave him a kiss on the cheek. Victor gave Yuuri a playful smirk as he pulled away, swiping his fingertip against his lower lip.</p>
<p>“I think someone was sampling the goods while he was in the kitchen,” he teased. “Or maybe your kisses have just gotten sweeter...”</p>
<p>Yuuri blushed when Victor kissed him softly, chastely, on the lips. He wasn't usually shy about showing PDA in front of Hiro, but then again Victor wasn't usually this...overly saccharine about it in front of him. “Well, Alina wanted some, too, so of course I had to share...”</p>
<p>Hiro gasped and smiled. “Ari-chan likes chocolate too? Can I share mine with her?” he asked, holding up his still-wrapped candy. “I didn't know babies could have chocolate...”</p>
<p>Yuuri chuckled. “I think she's had her fill, but she says thank you anyway, Hiro-<em>nii.</em>” He watched as Hiro unwrapped his treat, resting his head on Victor's shoulder and snuggling into the alpha's body heat.</p>
<p>“Hey <em>tousan,</em>” he said after a moment, nibbling on the corner of his chocolate. “If Ari-chan doesn't want any more chocolate right now, do you think she'd at least want a kiss for Valentine's Day?”</p>
<p>“I think she would,” Victor agreed, grinning as he watched Hiro already start to tug at the hem of Yuuri's t-shirt. With one arm draped across Yuuri's shoulders, he reached with his free hand for his phone, readying it to take a picture. “Go ahead, Hiro-kun, give your little sister a kiss!”</p>
<p>Hiro giggled as he looked up at his parents, lifting Yuuri's shirt over the curve of his belly and leaning down to gently kiss it. “Happy Valentine's Day, Ari-chan, I love you,” he said, smiling brightly when he felt her shift under his touch. “And so do <em>tousan</em> and Papa, and <em>babachan</em> and <em>jiichan</em> and...”</p>
<p>Yuuri craned his neck a bit to see the screen of Victor's phone, hoping to get a glimpse of the pictures he knew he'd just taken. “You're not going to post those are you?” he asked, blushing.</p>
<p>“Only if you're okay with it,” Victor said, scrolling through them to find his personal favorite to set as his lock screen. “Though my followers have been asking for bump pics; I've only posted one since Christmas...” He positioned the phone so that Yuuri and Hiro could see, swiping through them slowly enough for them to look at the pictures he'd taken.</p>
<p>“That one, I like that one!” Hiro said, pointing to the last of the set, which featured him resting his cheek and one hand against the crest of Yuuri's bump. “Post that one, Papa!”</p>
<p>After a moment of slight hesitation, Yuuri smiled and nodded. “I agree,” he said. “Send it to me, too, so I can send it to my parents.” His own phone buzzed a moment later with the message, and he forwarded it to both his parents' phones, as well as Mari and Riza. He got ready to put his phone away when he saw that Mari was calling him.</p>
<p>“Hello?” he said, answering on the second ring.</p>
<p>“Yuuri, I need to talk to you about something, preferably alone for the time being,” she said. “I know you're probably with Vicchan and Hiro, but do you have a minute?”</p>
<p>Yuuri chewed his bottom lip nervously, worried that something might be wrong. “Uh, yeah...” he said. He looked over at Victor. “I'll be right back, I have to take this.”</p>
<p>Victor nodded. “I understand. Take all the time you need,” he replied, helping Yuuri to his feet before beckoning Hiro back into his lap. As Yuuri headed for the bedroom, he could hear Victor asking Hiro if he wanted to call Uncle Chris to wish him a happy birthday.</p>
<p>“Okay, I'm by myself now,” he said. “Is something the matter?”</p>
<p>“No, not at all,” she assured him quickly. “Well, actually, I am kind of freaking out a little, but...” There was a pause, before she suddenly blurted, “...I asked Riza to marry me, and she said yes!”</p>
<p>Yuuri gasped. “<em>Neesan,</em> that's...wow, congratulations!” he said, wishing he could hug his sister. “Have you told Mom or Dad yet?”</p>
<p>“Not yet, you're the first,” she said. “That's actually sort of why I called. I was wondering if you and Victor would be the best men at our wedding. And if Hiro would be the ring bearer.”</p>
<p>“Mari, of course,” Yuuri said. “We'd be happy to. Did you want me to tell them, or should I wait?”</p>
<p>“You and Vicchan have your fun for today, you can tell him later,” she said. “I actually was planning on waiting to ask, so I didn't interrupt anything, but...Riza's in the other room giggling and crying to her mom and sister, and I guess I couldn't wait, either.”</p>
<p>Yuuri smiled, imagining the look on his sister's face as she spoke. “I'm glad you did tell me. I couldn't be happier,” he said. “When's the wedding?”</p>
<p>“Oh, we haven't discussed it yet, but definitely after Alina comes, if that's what you're concerned about,” she said with a laugh. “Riza's always talked about wanting a fall wedding, so probably sometime then?”</p>
<p>Yuuri nodded. “That sounds like a good idea,” he said. He and Victor had considered getting married in the fall, but had ultimately decided on a spring wedding, on the anniversary of the day Victor had first come to Hasetsu. “If you need any help planning anything, let us know.”</p>
<p>“Of course,” she said. “I'll let you get back to Vicchan now though. Remember not to get too frisky with him, now.”</p>
<p>Yuuri blushed and let out a nervous chuckle. “I won't, I promise,” he replied. “Congratulations again, and...thanks for telling me. I love you,” he said before Mari echoed the sentiment and ended the call. He suddenly felt like crying, his heart filled with happiness for his sister and her fiance, and a part of him wanted to go ahead and announce the good news to Victor and Hiro.</p>
<p>He decided against it for now, ultimately, as he made his way back to the living room. He could keep it a secret for a little while.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“...And be sure to have him in bed by 8, if we aren't home by then,” Victor instructed the triplets while he waited in the living room with them. “You all know Hiro, he's very well-behaved, but don't be afraid to call us if anything happens.”</p>
<p>“We'll have everything under control, don't worry!” Loop said. “We'll have lots of fun, won't we, Hiro-kun?”</p>
<p>Hiro nodded. “I'll be good, Papa, I promise!” he said, smiling up at Victor. “But you and <em>tousan</em> gotta behave too, okay? Don't do or say anything naughty in front of Ari-chan!” He gave his best attempt at a stern look, mimicking his father and pointing up at him. Victor couldn't help snickering at the display, but did his best to look sincere.</p>
<p>“I promise we'll behave too,” he said, just as Yuuri appeared in the doorway of the living room, dressed in a white button-up with a dark blue cardigan over it, paired with a trusty pair of black leggings.</p>
<p>“Sorry I took so long,” he said, smoothing out his sweater. “I...my dress pants didn't fit, so I had to throw something else together. I hope this is okay?”</p>
<p>“Oh, Yuuri, you look stunning,” Victor said, holding his arms out for him as he crossed the room, then wrapping his arms around him as he pulled him into a tender kiss. “I don't think it's possible for you not to, honestly,” He didn't want to draw attention to it in front of the triplets or Hiro, but he was almost sure he could see a hint of something delicate and lacy hiding under Yuuri's shirt...</p>
<p>“Okay, you two, out!” Axel teased, shooing them toward the front door. Victor and Yuuri both chuckled on their way out, and only when the door was closed behind them did Victor mention Yuuri's outfit again.</p>
<p>“What was that I saw hiding under your clothes, Yuura?” he purred, leaning in to kiss his jaw before leading him to the car. “Am I going to end up wanting to put another baby in you before the night is over?”</p>
<p>“Well, that depends,” Yuuri teased back. “I heard you promise Hiro that we'd behave; are you sure you want to break that promise?”</p>
<p>Victor pouted. “No fair, bringing that up,” he said. “Besides, I promised while we were out. If he's in bed by the time we get home...”</p>
<p>Yuuri winked at his husband before sauntering—okay, it was more of a waddle—to the car. Victor had planned a nice dinner at one of Yuuri's favorite restaurants, and maybe a walk along the beach, depending on how Yuuri felt afterwards. It wasn't much, but they'd both been looking forward to it for a week or so now; as much as they both loved being parents, they had really missed each other's company. After helping Yuuri into the passenger seat, Victor got into the car and pulled out of the driveway. He occasionally glanced over at Yuuri out of the corner of his eye, noticing him smiling adorably at his phone.</p>
<p>“What's got you so giddy?” he teased, reaching over and patting Yuuri's thigh, startling him out of his reverie.</p>
<p>“Oh, I was just reading some of the comments on your post from earlier,” he said. “Oh, and...a picture that Mari sent me.”</p>
<p>Victor raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh? Something to do with why she called earlier, I'm assuming?”</p>
<p>Yuuri nodded. “I was going to keep it a secret for a bit, although she said I could tell you later today,” he said, “but...she and Riza are engaged!” He opened his most recent text from Mari and pulled up the image attachment, a selfie of her and Riza, who was holding up her hand to show off her ring.</p>
<p>“Wow, good for them!” Victor said. “I knew it was just a matter of time before one of them proposed...”</p>
<p>“Yuuri nodded. “Me too. She asked if we'd be the best men at their wedding, and if Hiro could be the ring bearer. I told her yes, of course...”</p>
<p>Victor grinned. “Of course,” he repeated. “Did she say when they're getting married?”</p>
<p>“Probably in the fall, after Alina is born,” he explained. “I was thinking about sharing some of the ideas we originally had, when we were planning on a November wedding, remember? I think I still have a few of those web pages saved...”</p>
<p>Victor nodded in agreement, smiling as he and Yuuri discussed the wedding and ways they could help with the planning process. He'd still found himself sometimes wishing that he'd grown up with a sibling like Yuuri had, and he could see just how special that bond was, even now as Yuuri's eyes sparkled. But he was grateful for the relationship that he himself had developed with Mari over the years, being able to interact with her like an older sister too. And lately, whenever the thought would cross his mind, he would inevitably think about Hiro, and how glad he was that he would be able to share that feeling with Alina too.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuuri starts teaching his own class at Minako's studio.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's chapter 8! This chapter features a lot of hurt/comfort fluff in the second half, which wasn't my original plan but just sort of happened. And Taro's back! He's been one of my favorite characters to write in this fic and he originally was supposed to just be a bit character in one scene back in ch. 6 lmao.</p>
<p>(no spoilers for next week's chapter but it'll center pretty heavily on him.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yuuri took a deep, nervous breath as he walked into the studio. He'd been helping Minako with her classes for several weeks now, and after plenty of planning and getting the word out for people to sign up, he was finally going to be teaching his own yoga class. Most of the students who had signed up, like Taro, were pregnant, though Yuuri had originally intended for it to be open to anyone. He couldn't help feeling a bit nervous teaching by himself for the first time, but Minako had assured him multiple times that he would do great.</p>
<p>Even with plenty of encouragement, he still had Victor drop him off about half an hour early to make sure everything was perfect, and to mentally prepare himself for being in charge of so many people. As he made his way into the room Minako had reserved for him, he was surprised to see Taro sitting by the door, with his yoga mat rolled up at his feet, idly scrolling through his phone. The younger omega jumped when he realized Yuuri was there.</p>
<p>“Oh, sorry if this is too early,” he stammered, avoiding eye contact. “I just...my ride had somewhere to be so she had to drop me off before class, and Minako-sensei said it would be okay...”</p>
<p>Yuuri smiled gently at him and sat in the seat beside him. “If she said it's okay, then I say it is too,” he said. “You can sit here and relax until class starts, I just needed to get some things ready beforehand.”</p>
<p>“Do you need any help?” Taro asked, reaching to set his phone down. Yuuri shook his head, trying not to stare too obviously at Taro's baby bump.</p>
<p>“I should be all right, no need for you to give yourself unnecessary strain,” he replied, pulling out his own phone and checking the sign-up list that included all of his students' names and how far along they were, so that he knew how best to plan for certain poses. “In fact...I see you're the farthest along out of anyone who signed up...”</p>
<p>Taro blushed and cradled his belly. “Yeah, about 34 and a half weeks,” he said. “I did talk to my doctor, I promise, and she said I'd be fine taking this class as long as I don't put pressure on my belly or stretch my back too much.”</p>
<p>Yuuri nodded. “That's true. And if you got the green light from your doctor, then I'll do my best as your teacher to accommodate any way you need me to. I actually can't help admiring you for still wanting to be this active,” he said with a laugh. “By the time I was at 34 weeks with Hiro all I wanted to do was sleep.”</p>
<p>“It's something I'm sort of...making myself do, so that I don't sleep all day,” Taro admitted. “My due date can't get here soon enough. By the way, where is Hiro?”</p>
<p>“He woke up this morning not feeling well, so he's spending the day with my parents,” Yuuri explained. “He was really disappointed when I told him I couldn't bring him along today. He really wanted to see you.”</p>
<p>Taro couldn't help but smile. “That's so sweet. Tell him I said hi and that I hope he feels better!”</p>
<p>“I will,” Yuuri said, smiling back. “I'm sure that will brighten his day.”</p>
<p>Yuuri was able to make quick work of getting the studio ready, rearranging things so that there was plenty of wall space and chairs for his students to use to support themselves, if needed. He declined another offer of help from Taro, instead steering the conversation to his post-baby plans. They'd told each other a little about how their babies were developing, and Yuuri had even introduced Taro to Victor after one of Minako's classes, but Taro had never mentioned anything about a partner or any family besides the sister that he'd been staying with. He knew it wasn't his business, so he didn't pry, but he couldn't help being a little curious, especially with them becoming closer friends.</p>
<p>“Have you settled on a name yet?” he asked, letting out a relieved sigh as he sat down beside Taro again. “Or is he still rejecting all of your ideas?”</p>
<p>Taro laughed, recalling their last conversation where he'd mentioned how every name idea he and his sister would come up with earned him a sharp kick in the ribs by his son. “Not yet. I feel like I'm overthinking things but I just want it to be perfect.”</p>
<p>“That's understandable,” Yuuri said. “Try not to stress on it too much. The right name will come to you when it's time.”</p>
<p>Taro smiled at Yuuri, slowly rubbing his bump as he felt his baby move. He and Yuuri talked a little longer before the rest of the class started to show up. Once the class actually began, Yuuri's hesitation quickly disappeared as most of the students seemed fairly experienced and capable, and responded well to his instructions. He encouraged his students to take breaks if they needed to, and even offered to get them a drink of water while they rested. The hour-long session passed much too quickly for his liking, but everyone talked about how much fun it was and how they couldn't wait until next week, thanking Yuuri as they left. Taro was the last to leave, waving cheerfully at Yuuri as he walked out to his sister's car. He checked the time on his phone and saw that Victor would be coaching the triplets for another hour or so, so he decided to get an Uber to Yu-topia and wait there. He texted Victor to let him know he was finished with class, then his mom to let her know he was coming, and then requested his ride before going outside to wait.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“<em>Tousan!</em> How did your class go?” Hiro asked, perking up as soon as he saw Yuuri come in. “Was Taro there?”</p>
<p>“He was,” Yuuri replied, carefully sitting down by the kotatsu in the family's private sitting room. “He told me to tell you hi for him, and that he missed you and hopes you feel better soon.”</p>
<p>“I do feel better!” Hiro said, though a sudden sneeze caught him off guard. He responded to Yuuri's skeptical look with a soft giggle.</p>
<p>“If you keep drinking plenty of water and getting lots of rest I'm sure you'll be able to go to my class next week,” he assured him, pressing his palm to Hiro's forehead and noticing that he still felt feverish, but not quite as much as when he'd dropped him off that morning. “Oh, and guess what?”</p>
<p>Hiro looked up at Yuuri with wide eyes as he crawled into his lap. “What?”</p>
<p>“Taro's going to be having his baby soon,” he said. “In about a month and a half.”</p>
<p>“How long is that, <em>tousan?</em>” Hiro asked.</p>
<p>Yuuri did some calculations in his head. “About how long we've known him,” he explained. “We've actually known Taro a little longer than that now. So not very much longer.”</p>
<p>Hiro smiled excitedly. “Wow, I can't wait to meet the baby! Do you think he and Ari-chan will be friends?”</p>
<p>“Well we're hoping so,” Yuuri replied, smiling. “Remember she still won't be here for a little while.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Hiro pouted, “but when she does get here. I wanna play with her and Taro's baby. Does he know his name yet?”</p>
<p>“Not yet,” Yuuri said. “He's still trying to figure that part out. But he's still got time.”</p>
<p>Hiro nodded and leaned up against Yuuri, the combined warmth of his body and the kotatsu making him sleepy. It wasn't long before he fell asleep in Yuuri's arms, and Yuuri didn't dare move until Victor got back from practice.</p>
<p>“I'm glad your first class went well,” Victor said when he appeared in the doorway, his heart melting at the cozy sight before him. “Is it different than helping out with Minako's classes?”</p>
<p>“A lot different, but a lot of fun,” Yuuri said, keeping his voice low when Hiro squirmed in his lap. “I don't know why I was so nervous, I ended up loving it.”</p>
<p>“I knew you would,” Victor said, sitting beside him and kissing his cheek. “You're not getting too warm from the heater being on, are you? And how's Hiro's fever?”</p>
<p>Yuuri shook his head. “It's not even on right now, and when it was I only had my feet under it,” he explained. “His fever's gone down a little, but it hasn't gone away. How was practice?”</p>
<p>Victor's expression became a bit more serious. “The girls are starting to feel the pressure,” he said. “They were even having second thoughts about competing this year. I had a good long talk with all three of them though, telling them that they don't have to compete this year, or at all, if they truly don't want to, and that they don't have to feel like it's expected of them. But I also told them not to doubt themselves or the potential that they each have. I think it helped them a little.”</p>
<p>Yuuri smiled. “That's good to hear. I might give them a little pep talk myself, if you don't mind me tagging along at the rink tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“Of course I don't mind, I actually miss having you watching from the sidelines,” Victor said, scooting a bit closer. “I miss looking over at the bleachers and seeing you playing on your phone while Hiro talks to Alina.”</p>
<p>Yuuri smiled fondly and looked down at their son, still fast asleep. He hadn't gone to Ice Castle with Victor since Hiro had started his ballet lessons, but he remembered the last time they'd all gone together, when Hiro had animatedly described to his sister what Papa was doing, that he couldn't wait for her to meet Papa and <em>tousan</em> and for her to see what talented skaters they both were. When he reached down to gently stroke his son's hair, Hiro yawned and blinked his eyes open.</p>
<p>“Papa's here,” he said in a soft, sleepy voice. “Hi Papa...”</p>
<p>“Hi,” Victor said, reaching for Hiro's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “How are you feeling after your nap?”</p>
<p>“I feel better,” he said. “<em>Babachan </em>and <em>jiichan</em> took real good care of me today! We watched a movie and <em>babachan</em> made cookies and soup and we even saved some for you and <em>tousan</em> and Ari-chan!”</p>
<p>“That was nice of her,” Victor said. “Do you think you'll feel well enough to come to practice with Papa tomorrow?”</p>
<p>“Can I?” Hiro asked, sitting up excitedly. “And will you let me skate again?”</p>
<p>“We'll see,” Victor said. “I'll have to hold your hand on the ice, because it's too dangerous for <em>tousan</em> right now. But tomorrow morning if your fever is gone, you can come along and I might take you for a couple of laps around the rink, okay?”</p>
<p>“Okay!” Hiro said. He proceeded to tell his parents more about his day, from the songs that Hiroko sang to him before his nap to the silly jokes Toshiya would tell during the movie. As they got ready to leave, he still seemed a bit tired and weak on his feet, so Victor carried him to the car.</p>
<p>“What would you like for dinner, <em>myshka?</em> You can snuggle on the couch with Makka and <em>tousan</em> while I cook,” he said to him as he buckled him into his car seat.</p>
<p>“Mmm, can I just have cereal?” he asked. “'M not really hungry...”</p>
<p>Victor's heart broke seeing Hiro so sick and miserable. “<em>Da,</em> I'll make you some cereal, if that's all you want. And we'll do whatever else you want when we get home too, okay?”</p>
<p>Hiro nodded sleepily. “'Kay,” he mumbled before falling back asleep. Yuuri watched the exchange in the rearview mirror, wishing that there was something he could do to help Hiro feel better. He made a mental note to take his temperature again as soon as they got home; so far it hadn't gotten high enough to warrant a trip to the doctor, but he still wanted to be sure. There was still half a bottle of children's cold medicine in the bathroom cabinet, and he could put on a pot of tea for him before he went to bed. When Victor got into the driver's seat he looked over at him, then in the back seat.</p>
<p>“Should we let him sleep with us tonight?” he asked. “I think he'd sleep more restfully, and it has been a while...”</p>
<p>Victor looked at Hiro napping in his seat; his little nose was pink from blowing it all day, and when he'd kissed his forehead it didn't feel as warm as it had earlier, like Yuuri said, but he still definitely felt feverish. “I think you're right,” he said. “Are you sure we shouldn't take him to the doctor?”</p>
<p>“We'll take his temperature again as soon as we get home,” Yuuri said. “It was 38.5 when <em>okaasan </em>checked it around noon; if it's gone up since then she suggested that we take him to the hospital. If not, we should just run him a cool bath and make him some tea, maybe leave a fan running near him while he sleeps.”</p>
<p>Victor nodded, still hesitantly eyeing his son as he pulled out onto the road to head home. “That sounds good. <em>Okaasan</em> always knows what she's talking about.”</p>
<p>When they made it home, Makkachin greeted Hiro with a concerned whimper, sniffing and licking his hands until Victor whispered to her in Russian to give him some space. Hiro's temperature had gone down to 38.1, so Yuuri and Victor decided to hold off on the doctor. He didn't pout or resist when Victor gave him his medicine, and much to their relief, his appetite was still fairly healthy. He even asked for seconds after finishing his bowl of porridge, though he didn't finish the second bowl. The only time he put up any sort of protest was during his bath, complaining that the water was too cold.</p>
<p>“I know, but it'll help your fever go down,” Yuuri reminded him, squeezing a sponge of soapy, cool water down Hiro's back. “We'll wrap you up in your favorite towel afterwards, okay?”</p>
<p>Hiro nodded, but still crossed his arms and shivered when Yuuri rinsed the soap off of him. The bath didn't last much longer, and once he was clean and rinsed Yuuri helped him out of the bath tub and dried him off with the biggest, fluffiest green towel, fresh from the dryer, before putting his favorite pajamas on him.</p>
<p>“Are you feeling sleepy again yet?” he asked Hiro, leading him into the living room where Victor waited with Makkachin and Little Makka. Hiro tried to hide it, covering his mouth when he yawned and jerking his hand away when he instinctively went to rub his eyes, but Victor gave him a teasing smile when he picked him up and set him on his lap.</p>
<p>“It's okay, <em>myshka,</em>” he said, stroking his still-damp hair. “You can even sleep with <em>tousan</em> and me tonight, if you want.”</p>
<p>Hiro said nothing, but he relaxed into Victor's touch and rested his head against his chest, hugging Little Makka as tightly as he could. “I do,” he said. “I wanna sleep with you and <em>tousan</em>. I won't get Ari-chan sick will I?”</p>
<p>“Oh, Hiro-kun, no,” Yuuri said. “She'll be fine, we promise. She just misses her big brother and wants him to get better so that he feels like playing with her again.”</p>
<p>Hiro gave Yuuri a sleepy smile. “Okay, I promise I'll get better then. For Ari-chan.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuuri and Victor celebrate their anniversary! Also, Yuuri gets an unexpected Facetime call.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We're getting closer to the end of this story, y'all! Yuuri's got about nine weeks left! After this is one more chapter and then the epilogue!</p><p>This is actually a pretty Taro-centric chapter. I went into it a little in some of my replies to comments on chapter 8, as several of you have asked about his backstory/personal life. His sister finally appears here, and she goes into it a bit. I won't spoil too much and will just let you read for yourselves, but first I just want to say how happy I am that he was so well-received. Taro was initially supposed to just be a bit character in that first scene he appeared in, back in chapter 6. But then I got attached to the boy and, well...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yuuri slowly blinked his eyes open and smiled sleepily at Victor. Five years ago today he'd married the man lying beside him, and now they had a son, and a daughter on the way. He couldn't possibly be happier with how his life had turned out. He gently reached out to take Victor's hand, smiling when he felt him squeeze his before opening his eyes.</p><p>“You were awake,” Yuuri said. “You were probably watching me sleep...”</p><p>“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Victor teased, his voice groggy with sleep and his accent coming out a bit thicker than usual. “I was fast asleep until you grabbed my hand.” He gave Yuuri a playful wink as he squeezed his hand again.</p><p>“It's not nice to lie to your husband on our anniversary, Viten'ka,” Yuuri teased back, chuckling when Victor kissed his hand. “God, can you believe it's been five years?”</p><p>“Mmm, I know. It seems like just yesterday we celebrated our first anniversary and made Hiro,” Victor said, smiling fondly. “I can't think of anyone I'd have rather spent the last five years of my life with than you, Yuuri.”</p><p>“Me too. I love you, Victor,” Yuuri mumbled sleepily, leaning in for a kiss. They snuggled closer together, holding and kissing each other until Yuuri dozed off in Victor's arms again. Victor chuckled softly, kissed Yuuri's forehead one more time, and simply held him for a while. He was about to doze off again himself when Hiro appeared in the doorway of the bedroom.</p><p>“Hi Papa,” he said. “Is <em>tousan</em> sleeping?”</p><p>Victor nodded, carding his fingers through Yuuri's hair. “<em>Da,</em> I'm letting him sleep in for a bit. You've seen how tired he's been lately; carrying a baby around in your tummy is a lot of hard work...”</p><p>“'m awake,” Yuuri mumbled against Victor's chest before looking up at him with a playful smile. “Talking about me like I'm not an inch away from you, are you?”</p><p>“I didn't mean to wake you, <em>tousan,</em>” Hiro said, looking up at him apologetically. “You can go back to sleep if you're tired.”</p><p>Yuuri considered it for a moment, but shook his head, scooting away from Victor just a bit to make room between them. “I think I'd rather cuddle with you and Papa,” he said. “Come get in bed with us.” He smiled as Hiro climbed up into the bed and crawled into the space between his parents. “Do you know what today is, Hiro-kun?”</p><p>Hiro shook his head. “No...oh! Is Ari-chan coming today?”</p><p>Victor chuckled and kissed the top of Hiro's head. “Not yet, <em>myshka.</em> Today marks five years that <em>tousan</em> and I have been married.”</p><p>“Wow, five years?” Hiro asked. “Like how Mari-<em>bachan</em> and Riza-<em>bachan</em> are getting married soon?”</p><p>“That's right,” Yuuri said. “Five years ago today Papa and I promised each other that we'd spend the rest of our lives together. And a year after that, we found out that we were having you.” He hugged Hiro close to him, peppering his forehead with kisses. “You're still our favorite anniversary present ever, Hiro-kun.”</p><p>“What about Ari-chan?” he asked. “'s not fair for me to be the favorite...”</p><p>“She was your birthday present, remember?” Yuuri teased. “Both of you are <em>tousan</em> and Papa's favorites, you just came along at different times.”</p><p>“Oh,” Hiro said, understanding. “Hey <em>tousan,</em> do you think I'll get married someday?”</p><p>“Oh, we're sure you will,” Yuuri said, stroking his son's hair gently. “But that's something you don't have to worry about for a very long time, okay? Not until you're grown up and you've met the person you're <em>absolutely sure </em>you want to spend the rest of your life with, and maybe have kids of your own with.”</p><p>Hiro nodded and snuggled closer to Yuuri. “And Papa is that person for you?”</p><p>“He is,” Yuuri said, looking over at Victor with love in his eyes.</p><p>“How did you and Papa meet and fall in love?”</p><p>Both Yuuri and Victor snickered. They'd been waiting for him to ask this question.</p><p>~~</p><p>Yuuri sat on the couch to catch his breath for a moment after helping Victor tidy up the living room for their guests. They hadn't originally planned on throwing an anniversary party, but they'd decided at the last minute to have a small gathering of close family and friends and having dinner together. After being unceremoniously banned from his own kitchen by Hiroko and Victor and being made to rest his back and ankles, Yuuri sat in the living room with Mari, Riza, Toshiya, and Hiro. The Nishigoris were planning to come too, but were running a little late. While Hiro sat in his <em>jiichan's</em> lap, Yuuri took the opportunity to talk to his sister and her fiance about their wedding plans.</p><p>“So <em>okaasan</em> says you've decided on a date?” he asked them. “Were you going to share?”</p><p>“Well, not an exact date, but we've narrowed it down to mid-October,” Riza said. “We have decided we're getting married on the beach though.”</p><p>“A beach wedding sounds beautiful, and October would be the perfect time for it, since it won't be too hot,” Yuuri said. He smiled at the way Riza's eyes lit up, and the look of pure adoration in his sister's eyes when she looked at her. The pair had originally dated in high school, when Yuuri was still in grade school, and had reconnected and started dating again shortly after Hiro was born. He and Victor had watched their relationship blossom over the last four years and couldn't be more excited about their upcoming wedding. “How big of a guest list were you planning on having?” he asked. “Do you need help sending out invitations or anything?”</p><p>“We haven't figured it out just yet, but we were planning on a small wedding,” Mari said. “We'll let you and Vicchan know when we have the guest list written up so you can help us with the invites.”</p><p>Yuuri smiled. “Good. Let us know if there's anything else we can help with too, okay?”</p><p>“Will do,” she replied. After a moment she, Riza, and Yuuri all turned their attention to Hiro, who had been showing off to his <em>jiichan</em> what he'd learned in his most recent ballet lesson. Before much longer the Nishigoris arrived, and just like everyone else, they'd each brought a gift with them.</p><p>“You remember Victor and I said you didn't have to bring anything, right?” Yuuri asked. “Not that we aren't grateful, but...”</p><p>“Oh, these aren't anniversary presents,” Loop said with a cheeky grin. “These are all for your surprise baby shower!”</p><p>~~</p><p>Yuuri smiled fondly as he watched Victor guide Hiro around the rink, holding his hand as the two of them skated together. Hiro was becoming more confident on his feet on the ice, and had even managed a short distance earlier without holding his papa's hand. After a slip and (thankfully injury-free) fall, he'd gone back to hand-holding. The sight never failed to make Yuuri's heart melt, and when they made it around to the side of the rink closer to him, he pulled out his phone to record a short video.</p><p>“Hi <em>tousan!</em>” Hiro called, waving at Yuuri from the ice with his free hand. “Hi Ari-chan! Can she see me?”</p><p>“Yes, she sees you, and she's very proud of you,” Yuuri said. “She saw you skating on your own earlier too and was really impressed!” He made sure to zoom in on Hiro's face as he recorded a bit longer, and was surprised to get an alert for a Facetime call as he stopped the recording.</p><p>“Yuuri, hi,” Taro said, his face filling Yuuri's screen. “I...I hope this isn't a bad time...”</p><p>“No, I'm just at the rink with Victor and Hiro, I can talk,” Yuuri said, sitting back down on the bench. “How are you doing?”</p><p>“Good, now,” Taro replied, looking down. “I um...I was just calling to ask...when you went into labor with Hiro, what did the first real contraction feel like?”</p><p>“Well, it kind of started as a cramp in my lower back, then it slowly crept around to the front of...wait, why?” Yuuri asked, suddenly looking concerned. “Taro, did your water break yet?” He watched as the younger man nodded. “How long ago?”</p><p>“I'm not sure, it happened when I was sleeping last night,” he admitted, blushing. “I didn't think much of it when I woke up, I just showered and changed into clean clothes. And I knew I had a while until my labor actually started, and Natsumi was off today, so I figured I'd just wait it out until she said I had to go to the hospital but she got called into work and I started having these cramps and...” He was cut off by what Yuuri could only assume was another contraction, by the way he was holding himself and trying to control his breathing. “Yuuri, I'm scared...”</p><p>“It's okay, try to keep calm, I'll talk you through it,” Yuuri said, holding the phone up so that Taro could clearly see his face. “Is this your second one? How far apart are they?”</p><p>Taro nodded, waiting for the cramps to subside. “Yeah, my second. My first was probably about...twenty minutes ago?” he guessed. “I'll do a better job of tracking them from now on.”</p><p>“Good, you'll want to track them until they're consistently about a minute long, and about four or five minutes apart,” Yuuri said. “Will you be okay by yourself? Do you have your hospital bag packed? Do you have a backup ride?”</p><p>“I texted Natsumi to let her know it's started, but I haven't gotten a reply back,” he said quietly. “I know she's probably just busy; it had to be something serious for her to get called in so suddenly. And I've got mostly everything packed, I think, except for my phone and my charger.” He hesitated for a moment. “I should probably be okay on my own, I can probably get my neighbor to drive me if I need to...”</p><p>Something about Taro's body language didn't sit right with Yuuri. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that he'd been there before, or some measure of parental instincts, or some combination of the two or something else entirely, but a feeling in his gut told him not to let Taro be by himself right now. “What's your address?” he asked after a moment of thinking it over. “We'll come wait with you.”</p><p>“What? No, you don't have to...” Taro began, though his eyes told Yuuri that he didn't want to be alone either. “Isn't Victor teaching a class right now?”</p><p>Yuuri shook his head. “He let the triplets have a rest day, and we're just here letting Hiro play on the ice for a bit. Where do you live? I remember you saying it's not far from the dance studio...”</p><p>Taro hesitated again for a moment, chewing on his lower lip, but relented and gave Yuuri his address. Yuuri told him to stay calm and to keep tracking his contractions, just in case he didn't make it to his apartment before he had his next one. After ending the call he grabbed his jacket and stood up.</p><p>Victor noticed a sudden change in Yuuri's energy and skated back over to the edge of the rink, guiding Hiro along the way. “What's the matter? Are you feeling okay? Is the baby okay?”</p><p>Yuuri nodded. “Alina and I are fine,” he explained. “It's Taro. His sister got called into work so he's at home by himself and he's had two contractions already. He tried not to show it with me just now but I can tell he's terrified.”</p><p>Victor's eyes widened. “And you want to wait with him until he needs to go to the hospital, right?” he asked, and Yuuri nodded. “Of course. Let's go.” He hurried over to the bench and quickly changed out of his skates. “I'll drive, you tell me how to get there.”</p><p>“What's the matter, <em>tousan?</em>” Hiro asked, doing the same as Victor and fumbling to get his shoes back on. “What's a contraction? Is Taro okay?”</p><p>“He's fine, <em>myshka,</em> he's just getting ready to have his baby,” Yuuri explained. “A contraction is...well, it's a pregnant person's body's way of letting them know the baby's coming.”</p><p>“Does it hurt?” Hiro asked, looking worried. “Is it gonna hurt when Ari-chan comes? And what about when you had me? I hope I didn't hurt you when I was born, <em>tousan.</em>”</p><p>Yuuri couldn't help but smile and lean over to hug his son. “It didn't hurt a bit,” he said. “But even if it did, it would have been worth it to have you. And it will be worth it for Ari-chan too. But that's still a few weeks away. Right now we're going to stay with Taro for a little while, okay?”</p><p>Hiro nodded and smiled. “Okay!” He followed his parents out to the car and Yuuri entered the address Taro had given him into his phone's GPS, giving Victor the directions as soon as they left the Ice Castle parking lot. It didn't take long at all for them to get to the apartment complex, and fortunately for Yuuri and his swollen ankles, Taro and his sister lived on the ground floor. Victor knocked gently to let him know they'd arrived, there was the sound of someone cursing under their breath and shuffling to the door. The moment Taro answered the door and saw the Katsuki-Nikiforovs, he hugged each of them with a relieved sob.</p><p>~~</p><p>Taro's contractions had reached the four minute mark much sooner than Yuuri had remembered it taking when Hiro was born, but he and Victor had made sure he was no less prepared. After helping him into the back seat of their car with his overnight bag, Yuuri buckled Hiro into his seat before getting into the car with Victor.</p><p>“Taro, you're gonna be okay,” Hiro assured him, reaching over for his hand. “<em>Tousan</em> said so, and he's really smart so it's gotta be true.”</p><p>Taro smiled back at the young boy. “You're right, he is,” he said, before turning to face the front of the car. “I texted Natsumi to let her know you're bringing me to the hospital, she said she'll meet us in the maternity ward when she gets a chance.”</p><p>Yuuri nodded. “Good. I've been wanting to meet your sister, she seems nice,” he said. Another question lingered on his tongue, <em>what about the baby's father?,</em> but something told him this wasn't the time to ask. Something told him that if Taro had wanted to bring up the alpha who had impregnated him, he would have already. They made it to the hospital in record time, and Yuuri and Hiro helped Taro out of the car while Victor went inside to get a wheelchair for him. As they made their way inside and took the familiar elevator ride to the maternity ward, Yuuri couldn't help chuckling to himself.</p><p>“Bet you weren't expecting to be here for a while longer, huh?” Taro asked, laughing despite himself as his body was wracked with another contraction.</p><p>“No, I can't say I was,” he replied. “I mean, we were obviously going to come visit you, but I just kind of figured...”</p><p>“...That someone else would be bringing me?” Taro guessed. “Yeah, I did too. I'm really grateful that you were there though. Thank you so much.”</p><p>“You're welcome!” Hiro piped up, smiling up at Taro and patting his arm as he took several slow, deep breaths. The elevator doors opened on their destination floor and Victor wheeled Taro to the nurses' station, with Yuuri and Hiro in tow. As Taro answered the check-in nurse's questions, he blushed when he noticed her curiously eyeing his friends, and more specifically Victor. She probably assumed he was his baby's father, since Yuuri was clearly pregnant too.</p><p>“They're friends of mine,” he explained. “They drove me here. It's okay if they come to the delivery room with me, right?”</p><p>The nurse eyed them skeptically. “We usually only allow family,” she said, “since the rooms aren't very big. Do you have anyone else coming? The father, or...?”</p><p>“My sister, but I'm not sure when she'll be here,” he said. “She's a surgeon on the fifth floor here, and she said she'd be here when she got a chance--”</p><p>“Sorry I didn't get a chance to reply to your last text, my phone died and...” A young woman appeared beside Taro, looking out of breath and like she'd just run the entire way to the ward. “Oh, you're just checking in?”</p><p>Taro nodded. “We just got here. <em>Neesan,</em> this is Yuuri, my dance instructor, and his husband Victor and their son Hiro.” He gestured toward them and they each smiled and waved at her.</p><p>“Thank you so much for taking care of my brother and bringing him here,” she said. “Yuuri, he tells me about your yoga class all the time, I'm so happy he's found someone to empathize with him. He also told me you've got another on the way?”</p><p>Yuuri nodded. “In about nine weeks, yes. A little girl named Alina,” he said. “Right now we've got more pressing matters, though. Taro, are you feeling okay?”</p><p>Taro nodded. “Right now, yeah,” he said, turning back to the nurse. “So can they come with me?”</p><p>The nurse looked at the group again, then nodded after a moment. “They can all wait with you, but when you deliver someone will have to escort the child out into the waiting area, for safety and liability purposes.”</p><p>Yuuri nodded, holding Hiro's hand. “We understand,” he said. “Thank you.”</p><p>Once Taro had been taken to a delivery room, it seemed like the baby was in a hurry to arrive. He had a nurse come in about every hour to check his progress, and before he knew it he was being instructed to push. With a final wish of good luck, Yuuri and Victor left the room with Hiro, leaving him and his sister with the delivery staff.</p><p>“Will I be able to be in the room when Ari-chan is born?” Hiro asked.</p><p>“Probably not,” Yuuri said, stroking his hair. “You'll have to wait out in the waiting area, probably with <em>babachan</em> and <em>jiichan. </em>But I promise Papa will be in there with me and he'll make sure Ari-chan and I will be just fine. And then after the doctors get her all cleaned up and dressed, Papa will come out to get you and so that you can meet her, okay?”</p><p>Hiro looked up at Yuuri, then at his belly, and smiled. “Okay, <em>tousan!</em>” he said. “I'll be good and wait, I promise.”</p><p>“I know you will,” Yuuri said, holding him close. The last several hours had gotten him thinking about when he had Hiro, and how terrified he was when it wasn't clear whether Victor would make it back to Hasetsu in time, and how grateful he was to have him by his side, without a shadow of doubt, for the birth of their daughter. He couldn't help thinking how Taro must feel now, with the father of his child not in the picture for one reason or another, how he had been expecting to bring his son into the world by himself. He couldn't imagine what that must be like.</p><p>“Yuuri?”</p><p>The sound of Natsumi's voice broke Yuuri out of his train of thought, and he looked up to see her smiling softly at him, Victor, and Hiro. “Y-yeah,” he said. “What's the word?”</p><p>“He was a little on the small side, but the baby's perfectly healthy,” she said. “Taro's exhausted, of course, but he said he wanted to see you. And he finally decided on a name.”</p><p>“Oh? What is it?” Hiro asked.</p><p>“He said it's a surprise, he wanted to tell you himself,” she said. “Insisted on it, in fact.”</p><p>Yuuri gave her a curious look, but pushed the thought aside for the moment. “Hey, Natsumi...before you take us back there, I know it's probably none of our business, so forgive me if I'm prying, but I've been wondering...what's the story with the father of Taro's baby?”</p><p>Natsumi's expression turned serious, but not hostile or defensive. “I think he's been wanting to bring it up, but wasn't sure how. He met this alpha in high school, at the beginning of his third year, they started dating, even talked about getting married as soon as they graduated. And then, well...then he got Taro pregnant, and I guess he panicked and ran off. We haven't heard from him since...”</p><p>“Oh...” Yuuri said, his heart aching for the poor boy. “I'm so sorry. I can't imagine...”</p><p>“Yeah, it was rough on him at first, but over the last few months he's been healing little by little,” she said. “He hasn't been moping around as much, especially since he started taking dance classes. He's still a little nervous about raising a kid on his own, but if our mom could do it, so can he.”</p><p>Yuuri and Victor grinned, both feeling hopeful for their friend. They both stood up and each held one of Hiro's hands, and the three of them followed Natsumi through the doors and down the hall until she stopped in front of Taro's room.</p><p>“Hey, don't fall asleep on me now, you've got visitors,” she teased, peeking through the doorway.</p><p>Taro groaned softly as Natsumi entered the room, followed by Yuuri, Victor, and Hiro. Despite the clear fatigue on his face, he beamed at all four of them, while holding a small, whimpering bundle in his arms.</p><p>“Congratulations, you did it,” Yuuri said, approaching him first. He was careful not to crowd Taro, but made sure to get a good look at the baby. “He's adorable. He looks just like you. What's his name?”</p><p>“Thanks,” Taro said. I'm not sure who cried louder when he came out...” He and Yuuri both chuckled. “And, well...I hope this isn't, y'know, weird or anything, but you've helped me out a lot in the last couple of months, more than I think you realize, so...I've decided to name him Yuuri.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuuri, Victor, and Hiro pay Taro a visit, and Alina makes her debut!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's finally time, y'all! I won't lie, I cried writing the end of this chapter. Not only because of the birth of Alina but because it's the end of the story (save for the epilogue, which will be next week) and I've gotten so attached to it! And I couldn't be more grateful to all of you for sticking around along the way!</p><p>I might still continue this futureverse au, though I'm not sure how. Before I started L&amp;L, but after fishing Next Level, I had plans for a series of oneshots highlighting Yuuri and Victor experiencing parenthood for the first time with Hiro as a baby, so I might go back to that, if it would be something y'all would be interested in?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Can I knock on the door?” Hiro asked as he and his parents walked up to the door of Taro and Natsumi's apartment. Yuuri smiled and nodded, holding a few bags in his hands while Victor held the large box containing Taro's baby shower cake. Yuuri and Victor were appalled to discover that Taro hadn't gotten much in the way of clothes or toys for his son, and that he'd had to provide mostly everything on his own or with Natsumi's help. The two siblings hadn't had much contact with their mother since Taro had gotten pregnant, and most of his friends had either moved away from Hasetsu for university or were in no more of a financial position to help out than he was. So, after gathering up some of Hiro's old clothes and buying several new things, the couple had decided to throw him a belated baby shower.</p><p>After Hiro knocked on the door, they could hear the sound of footsteps coming to the door, sounding like they were in a hurry. The door opened quickly, and Taro looked at the three of them in surprise.</p><p>“Sorry, I look like a mess,” he said. “I just got the baby down for a nap and...” He blinked when he saw the parcels in his friends' hands. “Wait...what is all this?”</p><p>“We wanted to surprise you, so we got you and little Yuuri some gifts!” Yuuri said, blushing as he said his own name. It had been a little over five weeks, and he was still touched that Taro would name his baby after him even though they'd only known each other for a few months.</p><p>“You didn't have to go through all that trouble,” Taro said, though he backed up and made space for him, Victor, and Hiro to come in. “I appreciate it, of course, but...”</p><p>“We wanted to!” Hiro piped up. “We even got you a cake!” He looked up at his papa, who grinned as he carefully lifted the lid on the box.</p><p>“Oh, wow, thank you,” Taro said. “You can set everything down on the table here,” he offered, pointing to the coffee table in front of the sofa. Victor put the cake box down in the center of the table, while Yuuri carefully arranged the presents around it.</p><p>“Would you like to see him?” Taro asked. “He's a pretty heavy sleeper, it's actually just getting him to <em>fall</em> asleep that's the hard part...”</p><p>Yuuri chuckled and nodded. “Sounds pretty familiar,” he teased, pointing silently at his son. “We'd love to see him.” He walked with Victor and Hiro, following Taro into his bedroom, where he now had a crib beside his own bed. They quietly approached the crib and saw baby Yuuri's chubby cheeks puff out slightly as he snored. Hiro looked up at Victor and raised his arms expectantly, wanting to be held so he could see better. Victor complied, lifting his son up and positioning him so that he could see.</p><p>“He's so cute,” Hiro said. “I like his hair, it looks like yours, Taro.”</p><p>Taro smiled, unconsciously reaching up to stroke his own light red hair. “Thank you. I've been told he looks a lot like I did when I was a baby,” he said. “Maybe if he wakes up while you're here I'll let you hold him, so you can learn how before your sister arrives.”</p><p>Hiro looked at him with wide eyes. “Wow, really?” he asked, smiling brightly. “Is there a certain way to hold a baby?”</p><p>“Yes, Hiro-kun, there is,” Victor explained to him. “Babies aren't able to hold their heads up very well on their own, so you'll have to use your arm to support Ari-chan's neck when you hold her. <em>Tousan</em> and I will teach you how, okay?” Hiro nodded and looked down at the sleeping baby again.</p><p>“He looks like he's grown quite a bit since he was born,” Yuuri said, smiling down at his namesake.</p><p>“Really? Natsumi says he still looks a little on the small side,” Taro replied, carefully reaching into the crib and stroking Yuuri's cheek. “I wonder sometimes if I'm feeding him enough...”</p><p>“He looks perfectly healthy,” the older Yuuri assured him. “You'll want to keep up with his pediatrician to make sure of that, but from what I've seen in the last month you're doing a great job.”</p><p>Taro looked over at him and smiled. “Thank you,” he said. “I think I need the reassurance sometimes, so that helps a lot.”</p><p>Yuuri nodded. “That's normal too. I felt the same way when Hiro was born. I still need assurance from Victor sometimes, that I haven't completely forgotten how to care for a newborn since then.” He put his hands on his own bump and chuckled softly. “I think it's true, what they say though...at least to a certain extent. That omegas have certain instincts that kick in when they give birth.”</p><p>Taro nodded and smiled. “I think I believe that too, mostly,” he said. He looked at his son one more time and smiled down at him. “We should let him rest and go back to the living room. That cake looked delicious by the way.”</p><p>“My sister's fiance made it,” Yuuri said as they all walked back to the living room. “I'll pass the message along to her.” He let Taro sit down on the end of his couch, then sat beside him while Victor joined on his other side, still holding Hiro, who immediately climbed out of his father's lap and hurried over to Taro and sat in the floor beside him.</p><p>“Do you want your presents first, or cake?” he asked. “It's your party so you can pick.”</p><p>“Hmm, well if I get to pick...” Taro said, tapping on his chin in thought, “I think we should do both. I can eat cake and open presents at the same time, right?”</p><p>Hiro giggled and nodded, then handed him one of the wrapped packages while Victor got up to get plates and silverware. Taro carefully opened the present, finding a light blue blanket inside with the kanji for his son's name embroidered on one corner.</p><p>“My parents helped me get that custom-made,” Yuuri explained. “I had a blanket identical to that one when I was born and I was going to pass it along to you, but my parents didn't want to give it up, so we recreated it.”</p><p>Taro nodded, understanding. “That's so sweet of you, thank you,” he said, lifting the blanket out of its box and feeling how soft it was. “I'm sure little Yuuri will love it.”</p><p>Victor came back a few moments later and served up a slice of cake for everyone, then Taro opened the next present Hiro handed to him. This one was a scrapbook for documenting all of his baby's milestones from his first few years. “My mom had something like this for both Natsumi and me when we were little, “ he said. “I always liked the idea and wanted to do the same thing when I had a child.” He opened the book to one of the first pages, seeing that there was a place to put a picture and write down his measurements at birth. He made a mental note to start putting things into the book as soon as he could. The next few presents he opened were more practical things, like diapers (in a few different sizes, for baby Yuuri to grow into), spit-up cloths, rash cream, and the like, and there was one more box filled with clothes. At the bottom of the box was an adorable, striped onesie with a bear face on the chest. Folded on top of the onesie was a matching hat with little ears on top.</p><p>“It looks like it's too big for him,” Taro said, eyeing the outfit with some slight confusion. “It's adorable, but he might have to grow into it...the hat might fit, at least...”</p><p>“We got it that size on purpose,” Yuuri said. “We have a newborn-sized set too, for Alina, so they'll have matching outfits!”</p><p>“<em>Tousan</em> and Papa got me a shirt and a hat to match too!” Hiro said. “We'll be a matching little family of bears!”</p><p>
  <em>Family...</em>
</p><p>Before he could stop himself, Taro found himself tearing up and throwing his arms around Hiro. A bit startled, but eager to return the hug, Hiro patted Taro on the back and told him not to cry.</p><p>“Sorry about that,” he said, chuckling at himself. “I'm crying because I'm happy. You and your parents have just...you've all been so nice to me through all this, and it's not really something I'm used to.”</p><p>“That's such a shame, because you deserve all the kindness in the world,” Yuuri told him, reaching over to give Taro a hug after Hiro let him go. “You deserve a support system to help you raise your son. And we know you have Natsumi, but...if it's okay with you, we'd like to help out too.”</p><p>Taro blinked at him in surprise. “You...but you've got two babies of your own to raise, surely you don't want another to deal with. I'm practically a stranger.”</p><p>“We wouldn't offer if we didn't sincerely want to help,” Victor said. “Really. We both consider you a dear friend, and the fact that you'd name your son after Yuuri meant the world to us. The least we could do in return is offer to babysit once in a while, or invite you over for play dates.”</p><p>Despite his best efforts to hold it back, Taro started to cry again, and Yuuri let him, hugging the younger omega while he rested his head on his shoulder.</p><p>When Natsumi arrived home from work an hour later, she found her brother and Hiro napping together on the couch, Yuuri bottle-feeding the baby, and Victor cleaning up some dishes and what appeared to be discarded wrapping paper. “Taro didn't say he was expecting you today,” she said.</p><p>“Oh, we sort of...just dropped by for a surprise baby shower for him,” Victor explained. “We hope that's all right?”</p><p>“Of course it is,” she said. “Especially since you stuck around to help with, ah...little Yuuri. I'm sure he appreciates the help when I'm not around.”</p><p>Victor looked over at his husband, then at Taro and Hiro. “Well, you'll probably be seeing a lot more of us then.”</p><p>~~</p><p>It was becoming more and more difficult for Yuuri to stay comfortable for more than a few minutes at a time now, and with his due date looming closer and closer, Dr. Nakamura had been encouraging him to take it easy. She had also said that, since Hiro had been born early, there was a high chance Alina would be too, so even when he was sitting perfectly still playing video games or trying to take a nap, Yuuri found himself expecting his water to break at any moment, even after making it to the 39 week mark without a fuss. So while he was glad that he might actually carry this baby to term, he was also looking forward to being able to relax on the couch again without having to drape one leg over the back of it, or to be able to sleep without sprawling out like a starfish and pushing Victor to the edge of the bed, only for a swift kick to the bladder to send him to the bathroom and force him to spend ten minutes getting comfortable all over again.</p><p>“Dr. Nakamura said you're clear to come out any time, dear,” Yuuri found himself mumbling to his daughter one morning as he struggled to get up. God, was it this hard to move around when he was pregnant with Hiro? He felt like a turtle stuck on his back, the early morning light peeking through the blinds into his face wasn't helping, and <em>he had to go to the bathroom right the hell now.</em></p><p>“Yuura, are you okay?” he heard Victor mumble beside him. “'s the baby coming?”</p><p>“Not yet,” Yuuri sighed, blushing furiously. “I'm just stuck again. Can you help me up?” He heard the shuffling of the blanket and the sound of Victor's feet on the floor, and soon he saw his husband on his own side of the bed, holding his hand out to help. Yuuri reached out with both hands and held on tight while Victor pulled him to a sitting position, and when he tried to stand up...</p><p>“Oh...”</p><p>Victor blinked at him in the low light of the room. “Oh?” he repeated, reaching for the lamp on the bedside table. When he turned the light on, Yuuri was looking back at him with wide eyes, and there was a quickly spreading dark patch on the front of his pajama pants. <em>“Oh...”</em> he said again when realization hit him. “She's coming.”</p><p>Yuuri nodded. “Yeah, she is,” he said, giving him a shaky smile.</p><p>“Should I wake Hiro?”</p><p>Yuuri looked at the time on his phone screen, seeing the utterly obscene time of 6 am glaring back at him, and he shook his head and made his way past Victor, towards their en suite bathroom. “Not yet, we've still got a while. I'm taking a shower and going back to bed. We've been through this before, we know the drill.”</p><p>Victor nodded and watched his husband close the door behind him. He knew that it would still be a while before Yuuri went into active labor, but he still felt he should do something to help him, perhaps to make up for not being there when his water broke the first time. As he heard the water start running in the shower, he checked to make sure the bed sheets didn't need changed, then went to the dresser to find Yuuri a clean set of pajamas to change into, which he carefully set on the edge of the sink just inside the bathroom. Next, he looked in their closet where their overnight bag rested in the floor. They'd spent the last week tossing some things in that they knew they would need, such as a baby blanket and the outfit they would bring Alina home in, but he checked again and packed another extra set of clothes for both of them, their slippers, the spare phone charger...</p><p>“Papa?”</p><p>Victor jumped and turned around, seeing Hiro standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. Makkachin stood beside him, concern in her deep brown eyes. “Oh, hi <em>myshka,</em>” he said, smiling at him. “We didn't wake you, did we?”</p><p>“I heard the water running,” he mumbled. “Where's <em>tousan?</em>”</p><p>“He's taking a shower,” Victor said. “Can you do Papa a favor and find a shirt and a pair of shorts to wear? You don't have to change, just bring them to me.”</p><p>“Okay!” he said, hurrying back to his room. A few moments later he came back with an outfit of his choosing, even bringing a pair of socks and underwear. “What are the clothes for, Papa?”</p><p>“Your baby sister will be coming sometime today,” he told him. “And I want to make sure we have everything packed for the hospital now so we don't forget anything when we leave.”</p><p>Hiro gasped. “Ari-chan's coming?” he asked. “When do we get to go to the hospital to meet her?”</p><p>“Remember when we went with Taro to the hospital, and <em>tousan</em> said his contractions had to happen about five minutes apart?” Victor asked, and Hiro nodded again. “Well, <em>tousan's</em> contractions haven't even started yet, so it'll be a while. But Alina is getting ready to meet us, we just have to be patient.” He packed the last of the clothes into the duffel bag and walked over to Hiro, bending over to give him a hug. “<em>Tousan</em> is going to have a long day ahead of him and is going to try to take a nap when he gets out of the shower. Can you try to get some more sleep too?”</p><p>Hiro nodded, hugging Victor tightly around the waist. “Mmhmm, I will Papa. Can I give <em>tousan</em> a hug too first?”</p><p>Victor smiled and nodded, leading Hiro to the bed, where they waited with Makkachin until Yuuri came out of the bathroom.</p><p>“<em>Tousan!</em>” Hiro exclaimed. “Papa said the baby's coming, right?”</p><p>“Uh-huh, she is,” Yuuri said, giving him a tired smile. “We won't be going to the hospital for a while, though.”</p><p>“I know, I just wanted to give you a hug before you went back to sleep,” he replied, hopping down from the bed and hurrying over to Yuuri. He wrapped his arms around Yuuri's thigh and reached up to pat his lower belly. “Hi, Ari-chan, I love you, I'll see you soon!”</p><p>“Ari-chan says she loves you too,” Yuuri said, ruffling his hair playfully. “Go get some rest now, okay? You want to have plenty of energy when you meet your sister for the first time, right?”</p><p>Hiro nodded and hugged Yuuri's leg one more time before hurrying off to his room again. Makkachin started to go after him, but not before greeting Yuuri with a kiss when he got back to the bed.</p><p>“You know she's coming too, don't you, Makka?” he asked, petting her soft curls as she sniffed his tummy. “You're gonna love and care for Ari-chan just like you do Hiro, aren't you?” Makkachin replied with a soft whimper, gently licking Yuuri's hand before moving to the foot of the bed. With a bit of struggling, Yuuri was able to get comfortable again beneath the covers, and Victor leaned over to kiss his forehead.</p><p>“Aren't you coming back to bed?” he asked, pouting a little.</p><p>“I will in a bit, I just have a few phone calls to make,” Victor said. “Get some rest.” He kissed Yuuri again and watched as his eyelids drifted closed before leaving the room.</p><p>~~</p><p>“<em>Babachan, </em>what book should I read to Ari-chan?”</p><p>“Oh, well she'll probably want to take a nap for a little while first,” Hiroko said as she held her grandson in her lap in the waiting room. “Babies need a lot of sleep right after they're born, you know.”</p><p>“Yeah, but when she wakes up from her nap,” Hiro said, holding up the two books he'd brought with him. One of them was the book Mila and Sara had sent him for his birthday, featuring the princess Alina had been named after, and the other one was <em>Goodnight Moon, </em>which he had recently read through for the first time all by himself. “I couldn't decide at the house, but we had to leave and Papa said to just bring both.”</p><p>“Maybe you could read both of them to her,” Toshiya suggested. “You and your <em>tousan </em>named her after the princess in the first one, didn't you?”</p><p>“Uh-huh! And <em>tousan</em> says she really likes when we read it to her because he can feel her move whenever we say her name,” he said. “But she also really liked when I read this one to her at bedtime the other night, and I read it all by myself!”</p><p>Hiro continued to discuss the various merits of both books with his grandparents when Victor poked his head into the waiting room. There were tears in his eyes and he bore the telltale smile of a proud father.</p><p>“Hiro-kun,” he said softly. “It's time to meet your baby sister.”</p><p>“She's here!” Hiro beamed, nearly toppling off of Hiroko's lap in his excitement. “She's here, <em>babachan</em> and <em>jiichan! </em>Let's go see her!”</p><p>“The room's too small for all of us; you go say hi to her first, and we'll come afterwards,” Hiroko said with a smile, watching her grandson run over to Victor.</p><p>“You'll have to be quiet when we go into <em>tousan's </em> room, okay?” he instructed. “He's very tired, and Ari-chan was asleep when I left the room too.”</p><p>Hiro nodded, holding his books in one hand while holding Victor's hand with the other. Victor led him into a room at the end of the hallway, where Yuuri greeted them both with a tired smile. In his arms he held a squirming, fussing bundle wrapped in a blanket, which he was quietly trying to calm with a soft lullaby.</p><p>“<em>Tousan!</em>” he exclaimed, hurrying to his side. “I almost forgot what you looked like without your tummy all big and round...”</p><p>Yuuri laughed at his son's comment. “Me too,” he said. “Are you ready to meet Ari-chan?”</p><p>“Yeah! I wanna see her!” Hiro said, looking up at Yuuri's arms. He climbed up into the chair next to Yuuri's bed and leaned over so that he could see.</p><p>“Be careful not to get too close, you want to give her plenty of space,” Victor reminded him. “She's still getting used to her surroundings and might startle easily.”</p><p>Hiro nodded, being careful not to crowd his dad or his sister. “Hi, Princess Ari-chan,” he whispered, taking a moment to admire her soft cheeks and tufts of black hair peeking out from beneath the pink beanie on her head. “Oh, <em>tousan</em>, she's so cute! She's the cutest! I love her!”</p><p>“You can reach out and touch her, if you want to,” Yuuri said. “Go over to the sink and wash your hands first, though.”</p><p>“Okay!” Hiro hopped off the chair and hurried to the sink in the corner of the room, where Victor picked him up and helped him wash and dry his hands. When he got back to Yuuri's side, Alina had stopped fussing and slowly blinked her eyes up at him.</p><p>“Hi again,” he giggled. “It's me, Hiro-<em>nii, </em>remember?” He carefully reached his hand out to hold Alina's hand, and he gasped when her tiny fingers wrapped around his pinky.</p><p>“I think she remembers you,” Yuuri said. “She's saying she loves you too.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mari has a special announcement on the morning of her and Riza's wedding.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is it, everyone! I hope you all enjoy this ending as much as I enjoyed writing it! I would like to come back to this au after this (the previously mentioned baby Hiro adventures, maybe some stuff about him watching over Alina as they grow up together, maybe even some more about Mari and Riza and Taro). I'll probably take a break from it to work on another project I've been wanting to work on but I'm always open to talk about the au on my twitter (@capn_fuzzy), tumblr (fuzzycatsandgoofyhats), or my curiouscat (capn_fuzzy)!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yuuri woke up at what had to be some absurd hour in the morning to the feeling of small hands on his shoulder and the distant sound of a baby crying. It took him a few seconds to gain awareness of his surroundings and remember why he was in his childhood bedroom. Mari and Riza's wedding was tomorrow (or rather, <em>today,</em> as it was about 4:30 am), and to save time on getting ready he, Victor, and the kids stayed the night at Yu-topia along with Mari and Riza, with Riza's mother and sister even spending the night in one of the guest rooms.</p><p>“<em>Tousan, </em>Ari-chan's hungry,” Hiro said, gently shaking him out of semi-consciousness. “Papa went to get her so you can feed her.”</p><p>Yuuri sat up and rubbed his eyes, giving Hiro a tired smile. “Thanks, <em>myshka,</em>” he said. “What are you doing up this early?”</p><p>“Couldn't sleep,” he admitted, climbing into bed with him. “I'm too excited for later. I've never been in a wedding before.” He snuggled up beside Yuuri and looked up at him. “I wish I could have been in your and Papa's wedding...”</p><p>Yuuri chuckled and hugged Hiro. “I know, and if you had been around back then I promise you would have been a part of it,” he teased, right as Victor came back into the room with a freshly-changed, but still fussing Alina in his arms. Without saying a word, he unbuttoned his pajama top and held his arms out to take her from him.</p><p>“And what are you doing awake?” Victor asked with a playful smile, tapping Hiro's nose and making him giggle. “I thought I told you to go back to bed after waking <em>tousan. </em>You'd better get some more sleep so you're not tired today.”</p><p>“'m too excited,” he said again. “I don't think I can go back to sleep...”</p><p>“Well, Papa and I are going back to sleep after I feed Ari-chan,” Yuuri said, gently stroking her hair as she nursed from him. “If it will help, you can sleep in here with us.”</p><p>Hiro pouted for another moment, clearly wanting to just stay up through the morning, but he relented. “Okay, <em>tousan! </em>Can Ari-chan sleep in here too? Papa, I can help you get her bed out of my room!”</p><p>Victor chuckled and nodded. “If you can promise to be very quiet helping me move it,” he said. “Remember everyone else is sleeping.”</p><p>“I will!” Hiro said, before turning back to Yuuri and watching him talk to Alina. She must have just wanted a late night snack, because it wasn't long before she unlatched from him and let out a soft, squeaky yawn. Yuuri asked her in a soft voice if she was finished, and when she didn't seem interested in drinking anymore he held her up and gently patted her on the back a few times.</p><p>“Go ahead with Papa and get her bed,” he instructed. “I'll get her to go back to sleep and then you can help me tuck her in, okay?”</p><p>Hiro nodded and gave his baby sister a kiss on the cheek before hopping down from the bed. As he watched Hiro and Victor leave the bedroom, Yuuri smiled as he gently began to rock Alina back and forth, humming her favorite lullaby. She yawned again and stretched her tiny arms, and in a matter of moments she was fast asleep again.</p><p>When Victor and Hiro returned with the bassinet, they found Yuuri leaning against the wall, asleep with his top still unbuttoned and Alina nestled comfortably in his arms.</p><p>~~</p><p>Mari jumped in surprise when someone knocked on her bedroom door, then she turned around and smiled when she saw Yuuri in the doorway.</p><p>“Nervous?” he asked her, giving a sympathetic smile.</p><p>“How could you tell?” she replied with a smirk as she smoothed out her kimono.</p><p>“Your fingers are twitching,” Yuuri pointed out. “I haven't seen them do that since you quit smoking.”</p><p>“Yeah, well,” Mari sighed as she sat down on her bed. “Maybe I am a little nervous. I'm excited, of course, but...it feels like such a big step, you know?”</p><p>Yuuri nodded and crossed the room, sitting next to his sister on her bed. “I do. I'm sure you remember the morning of my wedding, right?” he asked. “How I almost made myself sick with how anxious I was? Marriage is a big step, but I know you and Riza wouldn't be taking it if you weren't absolutely sure of how you felt about each other. I've seen the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you. You'll be fine.”</p><p>Mari took a deep breath and smiled at her younger brother. “Thanks. I think I needed to hear that.”</p><p>“Mari-<em>bachan!</em> <em>Babachan </em>has something for you!” Hiro announced as he, too, appeared in the doorway, followed by Hiroko a moment later. “Oh, hi <em>tousan!</em>”</p><p>“Hi,” Yuuri replied, beckoning his son over so that he could smooth out the stubborn cowlick in his hair and straighten his collar. Meanwhile, Hiroko made her way over to Mari and handed her a small box.</p><p>“I wore this necklace the day your father and I got married,” she said, opening the box to reveal a beautiful opal necklace on a delicate gold chain. “I know you aren't usually one for jewelry, but I'd like you to wear it, if you want to.”</p><p>Mari looked at the necklace, then up at her mother, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. “It's beautiful, thank you,” she said as she carefully took it out of its box and put it on, her hands still trembling slightly.</p><p>“And it looks lovely on you,” Hiroko said. “How are you feeling?”</p><p>“I was feeling nervous, but then Yuuri and I had a talk, and...well, I still feel a little nervous, but less so,” she said with a small chuckle.</p><p>“It must run in the family,” Hiroko teased. “You two should have seen Toshiya on our wedding day. He stuttered through his vows, and his hands shook as he put the ring on my finger; oh, he was a mess...” She sighed dreamily as she looked back on the memory. “I wouldn't have had it any other way, of course, because then we went on to have two beautiful children together, and two equally beautiful grandchildren...”</p><p>“Three.”</p><p>It took a moment for Mari to realize she'd said the word aloud, and for her mother and brother to register exactly what she'd said.</p><p>“Three?” Yuuri asked, waiting for her to elaborate and only getting flustered silence, followed by a cheeky grin, in reply. “<em>Neesan,</em> you can't just say something like that and not explain!”</p><p>Mari held her tongue for another moment, then finally relented. “We were going to wait until after the ceremony to say anything, but apparently Mikuru pried it out of Riza so I suppose I can tell you. After Alina was born, well...she started talking about wanting a baby, so we started looking into it,” she explained. “We found a donor, and...” She smiled at the three of them. “She tested positive last week!” She chuckled to herself as she watched Hiro ask Yuuri what she meant, and grinned from ear to ear when his face lit up at the words, <em>“Riza-bachan is having a baby! You and Ari-chan are getting a little cousin!”</em></p><p>“How far along is she?” Hiroko asked.</p><p>“Seven weeks, as of her doctor visit on Wednesday,” she said. “But don't tell her I told you, she wants it to be a surprise.”</p><p>Yuuri nodded. “Of course,” he said, reaching over to hug Mari. “I'm so happy for you!”</p><p>~~</p><p>The ceremony was beautiful, and the weather was perfect—not too warm or too cold. Riza looked beautiful, wearing a breezy white sundress and her side-shaved black hair styled in an elegant updo, complete with a crown of white roses. They both stumbled a bit through their vows, and Mari couldn't keep her eyes off of Riza (specifically her stomach, Yuuri couldn't help but notice), and by the end there wasn't a dry eye among the wedding party or the guests. After the ceremony, everyone had been invited by the Katsuki family to Yu-topia for the reception.</p><p>As the crowd began to thin and Minako had finished taking photos of the now-joined families, Yuuri and Victor made their way over, with Hiro and Alina in tow, to congratulate Mari and Riza.</p><p>“So, how does it feel to be married, finally?” Yuuri teased, hugging his sister and sister-in-law, whispering to the latter a soft welcome to the family.</p><p>“It feels better than I could have imagined,” Riza said. “I had an awful case of the jitters this morning, I felt so sick...” She blushed as she looked up at Mari, linking their arms together. “But I'd go through it all again for this.”</p><p>“I heard that the nausea was probably related to something else, hmm?” Victor asked with a playful wink, making them both blush. “We couldn't be happier for you, you're going to make wonderful parents.” He gently rocked Alina in his arms as she woke up and started to fuss.</p><p>“Thank you,” Riza said, smiling when Mari put her free hand on her stomach. “To tell you the truth, I'd been thinking about bringing it up since the first time we babysat Hiro at our new apartment, but I wasn't sure if we were ready yet. And then I saw Mari hold Alina for the first time and I knew...”</p><p>“Does that mean I get to help babysit your baby after it's born, Riza-<em>bachan</em>?” Hiro asked, smiling up at her. She grinned back and reached down to ruffle his hair.</p><p>“Of course,” she said. “And you'll do a great job, too. I see how good you are at caring for your baby sister, so I know you'll be a great older cousin too.”</p>
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